Star Wars: Rise of the Grey Order
by darkrai-the-slayer
Summary: Centuries have passed since Abeloth's destruction and the rise of Darth Krayt. The galaxy is locked in a massive war. Now, a mysterious group calling themselves the Grey Order have risen, claiming that the Celestials are returning, as well as a group of dark-side entities known as the Devourers. Champions shall be chosen, and a battle will be fought for the sake of the galaxy.
1. Prologue: The Awakening

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **All content is strictly non-canon**

Prologue: The Awakening

On the edge of the galaxy, far from the reaches of civilisation, there once was nothing but an empty stretch of space. That changed millennia ago. A planetoid, formed purely out of the Force. Flora and fauna unseen anywhere else in the galaxy bloomed and flourished. Yet among all this, a single grey monolith towered above everything else. For millennia, this monolith had stood, silent and still, unmoving through the ages, yet not a single plant was able to grow on its smooth stone surface. The Force-sensitive animals which thrived on this planetoid's surface never approached it, for it radiated a strange Force presence.

On a day just like any other, the monolith towered over all else on the planetoid, dimly illuminated by the distant star's purple light. But today something was different. Tendrils of the Force snaked out of the ground, gathering around each other in front of the monolith. The tendrils coalesced into a humanoid figure, then solidified into an old bearded man. He opened his eyes. White pupils and black irises. His eyes gave the appearance of being infinitely deep.

The old man approached the monolith, wordlessly standing before it. For the first time in millennia, the grey building reacted. A circular doorway appeared in the smooth seamless wall, and the old man stepped through. Inside, it was all dark, but the man gestured, and the room lit up with a soft light, despite there being no visible light bulbs. The light was powered by the Force, and it glowed gently without the harshness of artificial light. This light illuminated the entirety of the room, revealing its contents. Two rows of cryosleep tubes, facing each other across the narrow room, stretched as far as the eye could see. There must have been at least three hundred of these tubes, each containing a human, male and female. The old man knew that there were many other levels in this building, each identical to this one. But for now, he only needed one hundred.

Raising his arms, he reached out in the Force. Inside a hundred cryosleep tubes, 100 pairs of eyes opened. The tubes opened with a soft pneumatic hiss. The naked figures stepped forth. From the seamless roof descended smooth robotic arms, methodically disconnecting tubes and removing oxygen masks. After the arms had retreated back into the roof, the floor panels opened on unseen hinges. Special racks rose out, containing the equipment of the humans. Armor, robes, helmets, and of course weapons. The lightsabers were ultra-smooth like the grey monolith, with no visible seam except for the activation button. They were either pure black or pure white, with some dual-ended lightsabers having both colours, one on each side.

The hundred raised their arms as one, and their grey armoured robes swirled around them, wrapping themselves around the humans. After that, they grabbed the helmets, and slipped them on, concealing their faces with the silver visor. They strapped their lightsabers to their belts, and they were ready. The old man gave them a once-over, then dissipated into Force energy.

The hundred wordlessly made their way up to the highest level. There, instead of cryosleep tubes, was a massive hangar containing thousands of large round objects. Meditation spheres. The hundred climbed into their own spheres, and again wordlessly, took off in different directions, to the different sectors of the galaxy.

They were ready to do their duty. They were the Hundred. They were the Grey Knights. They were of the Grey Order. They had Awakened.

 **A/N hey all this is my first ever fanfiction, do feel free to leave a review commenting on my writing or if you have any plot ideas and name ideas, would really much appreciate any comments. thanks all**

 **peace,**

 **Jackie**


	2. Chapter 1: The Herald

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **All content is strictly non-canon**

Chapter 1: The Herald

Centuries. That was how long the war had raged. The Galactic Republic and the Empire had both crumbled to nothingness. The only factions that mattered were the Jedi and the Sith, and even then the Sith were divided amongst themselves, with the Lost Tribe and the One Sith at loggerheads with each other. Jedi Grand Master Jagnord Skywalker pondered this as he sat in his office in the Jedi Temple, overlooking the busy airways of Coruscant. The Jedi had retaken the galactic capital in the wake of Darth Krayt's disastrous attempts to resurrect the Empire. The Jedi Order and the different Sith factions were all mainly human now, for there had been a horrifying purge against non-humans in the past few decades, and most non-humans were now decidedly neutral in this war, refusing to take sides.

Jagnord was looking out the viewport, lost in thought, when something caught his eye. A smooth orb, flying low and fast. On an approach to the Jedi Temple. It resembled a meditation sphere, and though there was no visible propulsion device, it was flying at a speed on par with some of the Jedi Order's fastest fighters. Jagnord reached out in the Force, expecting to feel the dark side, but instead he felt something else. A strange sense of … balance. Of inner peace. The presence he felt was neither light nor dark. The meditation sphere zipped below his line of sight and disappeared. Jagnord reached for his comlink.

Down below, at the gates of the Jedi Temple, overlooking a large courtyard, Jedi Knights Teimos Ashkander and Loriole Hybergo stood on guard duty. They were bored out of their minds, playing cards with each other. Teimos grunted as Loriole wiped the floor with him, taking most of his chips. Loriole laughed in delight as she mocked the sulking Teimos, "You'll never beat me, and you know it little Teimmy." Teimos hated it when she called him that, but he really couldn't stay angry at her, not for long, at any rate. Teimos and Loriole were the exact opposites, Teimos was a great hulking brute, with a square jaw and a shock of blond hair, but skilled in the Jar'Kai forms. Loriole was a slender female, acrobatic and nimble, her long brown hair falling down to her shoulders in a wavy mess, but fought like a demon with her single blade. Both had seen combat on Tatooine together, and had developed a friendship, which at times, seemed more like a rivalry, what with the two of them tossing insults at each other, but the truth was, each of them would lay down their lives for the other in a heartbeat.

The two knights were about to start another round, when their comlinks beeped. Loriole, thinking it was another Knight asking them to meet up after their shift, answered it with a half-hearted "Yeah?"

"Jedi Knight Hybergo, this is Grand Master Skywalker."  
Loriole immediately sat up straight. "Gr…Grand Master? What's the matter?" It would probably be something big, otherwise she would be receiving this from this or that other Jedi Master. She could actually hear the worry in his voice.

"Jedi Hybergo, be on alert. There may be a hostile meditation sphere approaching your position. Prepare yourself to engage. Notify Jedi Ashkander of this as well, several other Jedi Masters and myself are coming to you now, please hold out until then."

Loriole furrowed her feminine brow, wondering what this new development was. "Alright Grand Master, we'll try our best. Jedi Hybergo, out."

Teimos was listening to the exchange. Loriole felt his Force aura light up with delight at the possibility of a fight. Loriole sighed. Some things would never change. Teimos excitedly unclipped his twin lightsabers from his belt, and Loriole did the same with her own. Her lightsaber was formerly a Sith lightsaber, taken from her slain adversary after he had destroyed her original saber and she had been forced to kill him with his own blade. She had managed to purge the crystal of its dark side energies through intense mediation, and now the energetic purple blade was her own.

Loriole looked up as she heard a faint whistling noise. A large grey sphere was coming in for a landing. There was no visible propulsion device, and the surface of the sphere looked to be semi-liquid. From the smooth underbelly, three mechanical legs extended into landing struts, and the sphere touched down gently. The semi-liquid surface of the sphere rippled, and peeled away to form a landing ramp. A strange man descended the ramp. He was dressed in flowing grey robes, which seemed strangely stiff. His head was enclosed in a grey helmet, face concealed by a reflective silver visor. On his belt was an odd-looking lightsaber, half black and half white, and it appeared to be very smooth.

Teimos stepped forward, gripping his twin lightsabers, and using the Force to amplify his voice, asked the stranger: "Who are you? Why are you here?"

The strange man ignored his question, and said to the two senior Knights: "Step aside, Jedi, I wish to see your Grand Master".

Teimos ignited both his lightsabers, brilliant blue blades flaring to life. "Not likely, you want to get inside the Temple, you'll have to get through us."

Loriole followed his lead and ignited her own lightsaber. The purple blade activated with a loud _snap-hiss_. The stranger pulled his own lightsaber off his belt, and activated it.

From the black side of the hilt, emerged a pure white blade. It was so bright it was dazzling to behold. Loriole's eyes ached just at looking at it. From the white side of the hilt, a pure black blade emerged. The black core of the blade appeared to draw in all surrounding light and colour, leaving a faint white, electrical aura along its edges.

Loriole had never seen such a lightsaber before in all her years as a Jedi. The Temple records had no mention of any lightsaber of these colours, except for an obscure record on a darksaber used by the Mandalorian Pre Viszla. For that matter, Loriole didn't know if it was even possible to create a dual-ended lightsaber with different coloured blades. She faintly registered all this in the back of her mind as she focused on the man in front of her.

The stranger casually twirled his blade in a dazzling display of colour, sending sparks shooting from where he struck the ground, leaving deep scorch marks. Teimos shouted with glee and leapt at the man, bringing both lightsabers down in a powerful downward slash, which the stranger easily blocked. Loriole took the initiative and went in for a slash at his legs, but the stranger moved impossibly fast, beating away Teimos' blades and parrying hers away. The two Jedi went on the offensive, three blades to two, yet the stranger in grey casually blocked all their attacks with amazing speed, all the while not making a single offensive move. Loriole and Teimos worked together flawlessly, having sparred and duelled side-by-side for years. They were perhaps among the best duelists in the Jedi Temple, yet the stranger they were fighting seemed to only be toying with them. The two Knights slashed in perfect tandem, yet the black-and-white lightsaber flashed back and forth with incredible speed and precision, blocking every strike.

"This can't keep up any longer," thought Loriole. She was already tiring, and Teimos wasn't any better. It was clear that while both of them were fighting with every ounce of strength and concentration they had, the stranger had barely broken a sweat.

Teimos slashed downwards in an X, crossing his blades. Loriole slashed upwards in an effort to catch the stranger unawares. But once again the stranger somehow blocked both, slashing sideways to parry her blade and then immediately switching to an upward slash to catch the X of Teimos' blades, breaking the X. The stranger spun away, twirling his blades in a complex defensive pattern which Loriole recognized as being part of a very advanced version of the Nanimorol style, a highly complex and ancient style of lightsaber combat, developed by the Jedi during the battle of the Old Republic, it was a style that could only be mastered by the greatest duelists, a style which even the Grand Master had admitted to struggling with.

The stranger completed his spin and made a pushing motion with his free hand. Loriole and Teimos both tensed and braced themselves against the imminent Force attack, but what happened next took both of them by surprise.

The Force push hit them like an airspeeder, sending them flying backwards by several dozen meters. Loriole found herself hurtling backwards at a phenomenal speed. Instinctively, she somersaulted to land on her feet, deactivating her lightsaber to avoid accidentally gutting herself, but she hadn't accounted for just how high up she was. With no time to react, she was forced to land hard, and she turned her momentum into a backwards roll, from which she fluidly emerged into a standing position. She stumbled as a jolt of pain flashed through her left knee. The ungainly Teimos, on the other hand, was not as fortunate. The big lump of misshapen human landed flat on his back with a loud "ooomf", and Loriole could actually hear the gust of air knocked out of him.

With Teimos winded and most likely out for the moment, Loriole braced herself against the pain in her leg and rose into a defensive stance, activating her lightsaber, determined to protect Teimos. The stranger raised his hand again, and Loriole flinched, expecting another Force attack, but instead the stranger spoke once again.

"Hold, brave Knight. I do not seek to fight you. I wish to deliver a message to your Grand Master."

Loriole kept her lightsaber activated as she retorted, "How can we possibly trust you?"

The stranger replied, "You can't. But the message I am delivering will decide the fate of your Jedi Order, and perhaps the galaxy." He then deactivated his lightsaber and clipped it to his belt. "Bring me to your Grand Master." He ordered.

"The Grand Master is here!" a voice which Loriole could not have been more pleased to hear shouted from behind her. She turned to see the Grand Master of the Jedi Order, Jagnord Skywalker, approaching them with confident strides, robes flowing elegantly behind him, followed by several Jedi Masters. When Jagnord reached the place where Loriole was facing off against the stranger, the stranger bowed deep and low.

"Grand Master, my humble greetings. Apologies for having to inconvenience your brave Knights. I bring a message for you from my master and patron."

Jagnord took in the stranger's appearance and armoured robes, before carefully replying "Who is your master and patron?  
The stranger responded with a question of his own. "Are you familiar with the concept of the Celestials?"

Jagnord flinched and drew back. "You mean like Abeloth?" The very name could still strike fear into the hearts of hardened Jedi and Sith alike. Coruscant still bore the scars from her wild rampage all those years back.

The stranger nodded, "Something like that. I presume you are aware that there are physical embodiments of the Force. The light side, the Daughter. The Dark side, the Son. My patron is the embodiment of balance, the Father."

"The Celestials are reforming, and we need to prepare for the battle. Let us go inside, we have much to discuss, and time is of the essence."

Jagnord stopped the stranger with another question. "Which side do you fight for? What faction do you belong to?"

The stranger replied simply, "I am of the Grey Order. I am a Grey Knight."

 **A/N whew that was long. a bit of action for you guys, shoutouts to CTCH and Foxcloud of Bookclan for leaving reviews, i really appreciate your kind words. I will be trying to update this story as often as possible, right now I am struggling with ideas for names, I will be doing a chapter on the Sith next, any name ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all**

 **peace, Darkrai the Slayer**


	3. Chapter 2: Quest for Power

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **All content is strictly non-canon**

Chapter 2: Quest for Power

The Maw. A collection of gargantuan black holes gathered around each other. Nearby floated the centuries-old remains of Centrepoint Station. A single path threaded its way through a tiny gap between two of the monstrous singularities. Flying manually was necessary to navigate this treacherous route. A single degree off the route would result in being pulled directly into one of the black holes if one was lucky, and being pulled to pieces by the uneven forces of the two black holes if one wasn't lucky.

It was down this tiny path that a small ship darted. The _Taalon-_ class corvette carefully picked its way between the two black holes. Inside, a small team of Sith were sitting nervously, glancing constantly at the two massive black holes on each side. The pilot was drenched in sweat, as he nervously navigated this narrow path. Standing behind him was Sith High Lord Raalog Tharein. He alone was calm and collected, staring ahead intently. This mission was off the books, and he being here would already warrant execution back on Kesh. But, he thought, if all went well, they wouldn't be able to execute him at all. The thought of this alone put a sinister smile on his face.

At long last, the Sith's destination appeared in their forward viewports. A dense jungle planet, formerly the home of Abeloth and currently still the site of two of the most powerful Force nexuses in the galaxy. The _Khai_ powered towards the small planet, sweeping past the bits and pieces that were the remains of Sinkhole Station.

This planet had not seen any contact ever since the war against Abeloth, and for very good reason. Soon after the Jedi had purged Coruscant of Sith, the Grand Lord had approached the then Jedi Grand Master, Luke Skywalker, for a peaceful discussion. The two had agreed to make Abeloth's home planet a no-go zone for both sides. The leader of the One Sith later declared the same intentions. All parties agreed that the power of the Font and the Pool were to remain untouched, and the planet had since fallen into obscurity. High Lord Raalog had stumbled upon the records of the strange planet inside the Maw cluster while doing research on how the Jedi had defeated Abeloth in an effort to gain an insight into how the Jedi functioned. He had since been petitioning for a quest to the planet in order to gain immeasurable power and defeat both the Jedi and the One Sith after reading about what had happened to Lord Taalon after his exposure to the powers of the Pool of Knowledge. He was met with surprisingly vehement opposition from most of the older High Lords and the Grand Lord himself. Disgusted with their inability, he decided to take matters into his own hands, and here he was.

The corvette touched down gently on the mossy ground. Raalog stepped out and took a deep breath of the fresh air. He surveyed the surroundings as the various Sith Sabers gathered around him, awaiting orders. For this secret mission he had brought only the most loyal and most skilled Sith of his house. He thought a while, then announced to the team of 6 Sith, "Gentlemen, thank you for coming with me. The other High Lords would have our heads if they knew we were here, but believe me, after today, they WON'T be able to kill us. Today is the day we gain immeasurable power. Today is the day, we will single-handedly crush the Jedi and the One Sith, and restore the Lost Tribe to glory and power!"

Raalog consulted an old tattered map he had stolen from the Grand Lord's library. It was a map from the last time anyone had set foot on this forsaken planet, the journey of Lord Taalon to rescue Vestara Khai, detailing the positions of the Font and the Pool. Wordlessly, he decided to set off for the Font of Power first. Knowledge could wait. The small troupe of Sith hurriedly followed him.

Raalog trudged across the squishy jungle floor. The air was thick with not just moisture but also the Force. Raalog felt sick, and he decided to close himself off from the Force. Immediately, he felt better. Looking back at his Sabers, he saw their pale faces and sweat-drenched robes, he knew they were no better off than he was. He decided not to tell them how to improve their situation. Suffering was how to make one's followers stronger, he thought.

After about an hour of traversing the uneven ground, they finally arrived at a mist-filled area. There appeared to be a large depression in the ground, but it was unclear to see just how deep it was in the mist. Nearby, a collection of felled and destroyed pillars lay on the ground, and there was a skeleton on the ground, missing several limbs, with the ends of some of the bones blackened with soot, clearly the result of a lightsaber. There had only been rumours about what had happened here, but one thing among the legends was taken for truth. Abeloth had been slain here. Raalog shuddered and moved away from the corpse.

Raalog looked at his cohorts once again. They were all very pale now, and some were shivering. Reluctantly, he opened himself to the Force again, and was blown away by the sheer intensity of the Force. The dark side washed over him like a tidal wave, and it took all his effort to stay upright.

After taking a moment to compose himself, Raalog used the Force to dissipate the mist, revealing a normal looking fountain in an overgrown courtyard. The marble fountain was covered in moss, and inside was an oily black liquid. The fountain radiated a sense of malice, of the dark side. Raalog's eyes lit up as he greedily started towards it.

Suddenly, a tingle rushed down his spine. His danger sense. A smooth meditation sphere had swung into a low hover directly above him and his Sith Sabers. A round hole opened in the bottom, and a grey-clad stranger jumped down, landing in front of High Lord Raalog, standing between him and the Font.

Raalog was surprised by this grey individual. Was it one of the Jedi's attack dogs? He doubted it, since the Jedi never used meditation spheres.

Raalog was about to ask the stranger's identity, but the stranger spoke first.

"Sith High Lord Tharein, I order you to step away from the Font of Power and leave this planet, never to return. Do so now and I will let you live, if not, I will be forced to kill you."

Raalog laughed bitterly. "I've come so far, I've forsaken my allies and I've risked death to come here. If you really think I'm going to let some… stranger stop me from claiming my rightful power and defeating the Jedi, YOU. ARE. MISTAKEN. Sabers! Take him out!"

The 6 Sith Sabers ignited their crimson blades and advanced towards the stranger in grey. The stranger calmly stood there, watching them with what seemed to be amusement. Raalog could certainly feel it in his Force aura.

The stranger raised his hand, and a massive fork of Force lightning burst forth, catching the Sith Sabers unaware. The Sabers were blasted into the wall of the courtyard, and the lightning pinned them to the wall. The smell of burning flesh penetrated the air, accompanied by pained screams, screams of people who know they are done for, and screams of people who begged for mercy knowing there was none.

The stranger cut off his lightning, and the six Sabers fell to the ground, charred, scorched and convulsing from the powerful attack. Small forks of lightning still zipped out of them into the ground, circling around their smoking flesh. Their pain was like a knife in the ribs, and Raalog fell to his knees, overwhelmed by both the power of the Font and the acute agony his subordinates were feeling. One by one he felt their Force presences diminish, then wink out, extinguished like a candle flame. Rage flared inside him. He had grown close to some of those Sith Sabers, having trained them personally, and elevated them to high positions within the nobility.

Raalog felt the anger coursing through his veins, and used it. He rose to his feet, snapping his own lightsaber off his belt and activating it. The crimson blade sprung forth. The stranger pulled his own lightsabers off his belt. One black, and one white. From the black hilt, a white blade. From the white hilt, a black blade. Raalog's interest was vaguely piqued by his blades, but the tantalizing power of the Font and the grief and anger he felt overwhelmed everything.

Raalog attacked the stranger, red blade cleaving the air with an electric sizzle. The stranger raised his own white blade to meet Raalog's, and the two blades clashed with a loud crackle. Raalog saw his own face, twisted with fury, reflected on the stranger's reflective silver visor. Too late, he remembered the stranger had a second blade, and spun away. The black blade sliced through the air, grazing his side and leaving a nasty burn. The wound stung, feeling like it had been doused in acid. Raalog gritted his teeth, and called upon the power of the Font, using it to sustain himself. He felt a surge of strength in his limbs, and attacked with a renewed vigour, slashing two-handed at the stranger. The stranger twirled his blades, catching his slashes casually. Raalog could feel his own arms vibrating as their blades met, so strong were his attacks. Raalog jumped back, and gestured with his hand, using the Force not just to throw his own shikkar, but those of the fallen Sabers as well. Seven bright glass daggers flew through the air towards the stranger, but it didn't even bother him. The stranger causally waved his hand, and the daggers shattered into harmless bits of glass in mid-air, falling to the ground with a gentle tinkling sound.

Raalog again leapt at the stranger with a whirlwind of strikes, and again the stranger blocked every one of his mad slashes. The stranger then took his turn to go on the offensive, twirling left and right, slashing impossibly quickly. It was all Raalog could do to defend himself, and even so it was not enough. The stranger was incredibly good with his blades, drawing taunting cuts to Raalog's leg, arm, and torso. Raalog ignored the pain, calling on the Force and the power of the Font, but he was starting to feel the strain on himself. If he used the Force anymore, his very cells might spontaneously combust.

The stranger was slowly gaining ground, forcing Raalog back towards the wall of the courtyard. Raalog now sported burn wounds all over his body. His right leg was almost completely blackened with dead skin, and his flowing robes hung in simmering tatters.

Raalog was desperately trying to stay alive. It took all his concentration to keep his blade up and meeting the stranger's blade, so much so that he gave up trying to call on the Force to sustain him, and was still upright mainly because of his own stamina and endurance. He slowly backed up, not even trying to attack the stranger anymore. He stepped backwards slowly, gingerly, as he tried to block the stranger's lightning-like strikes.

Then, all of a sudden, Raalog slipped in a pool of blood and stumbled. The blood of his fallen Sabers. Raalog weakly raised his blade to block the stranger's attack, and the black blade came smashing down on the crimson lightsaber. For a terrifying moment, it held, just. Then, the red blade flickered, and shattered. The force of the break sent Raalog flying onto his back, the lightsaber hanging uselessly from his limp hand. With no more strength to rise up, Raalog tried to thumb the activation switch of his lightsaber to make one last stand. Nothing. The red crystal had shattered beyond repair, and the lightsaber emitted a weak fizzing sound.

Raalog let his head loll back, spent. The stranger stood over his broken body, lightsabers crossed at his throat. Raalog looked up into the emotionless silver visor, seeing his own scarred and scorched face. The stranger then said, "I warned you." And he slashed sideways.

Back on Kesh, a young lady in the house of Tharein looked up from her work with a shocked expression. "Daddy…"

 **A/N wow that was really long. As always guys, enjoy the story, and do feel free to comment on my writing and the plot, and do please leave ideas for how the plot should develop and any ideas for names. thanks everyone, and enjoy! shoutout to whoever can guess which scene in the books i am referring to at the end.**

 **peace, Slayer known as Darkrai**


	4. Chapter 3: A Frigate

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **All content is strictly non-canon**

Chapter 3: A Frigate

*inside the Jedi Temple*

Loriole sat on a bunk in the Jedi Temple's sprawling infirmary, having her knee checked by one of the many Jedi healers. On the bunk across from hers, Teimos was having his bruised ribs tended to. The Grand Master and the mysterious Grey Knight had disappeared into one of the many conference rooms upstairs, and although she couldn't exactly discern what was going on, the mild disturbances in the Force was enough to tell her something big was up. Through the woozy haze of her pain, she vaguely remembered the Grey Knight saying something about the Celestials. Loriole was able to recall the little she had absorbed about the Celestials while reading up in the Jedi Temple's expansive records. Among those records were a top-secret and only recently declassified account of the Jedi Obi-wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Ashoka Tano's mission on the Mortis Monolith.

There had also been extensive records on the Jedi Raynar Thul and his friends' mission to a Killik hive, and their findings had been extensively documented, including ancient and vivid hologram recordings. And doubtless there had been many records on Abeloth, who had come very close to wiping out the entire galaxy.

From what little she could remember, Loriole slowly put the pieces together, but still could make neither head nor tail of what was even happening. Not that it mattered, for she barely had any time to make a conclusion. Jedi Grand Master Jagnord Skywalker burst through the infirmary doors, looking visibly shaken, flanked by his entourage of Jedi Masters and the Grey Knight.

Jagnord made a beeline for Teimos and Loriole. They got to their feet and stood at attention. Jagnord walked right up and addressed them.

"Jedi Hybergo and Jedi Ashkander. You are being reassigned. The two of you are to take a shuttle to Kamino, where you will pick up a fresh batch of clones. From there, you will proceed to rendezvous with the frigate _Amidala_ , under the command of Jedi Master Pong Fel. The Grey Knight shall accompany you henceforth, and Master Fel has already been notified of this."

Loriole and Teimos nodded respectfully, despite almost not being able to contain their excitement at going back into the field. They saluted, and the Grand Master left with the rest of the Masters. The Grey Knight just stood there, arms crossed, seemingly waiting for them to move out.

*in the Wild Space, beyond the Outer Rim*

And that was how Loriole had ended up behind the controls of _a Star-hopper_ -class shuttle, powering towards the remote water planet. Not long after the Great War had started, the Jedi had decided that they needed an army. So the Grand Master and a group of Jedi Masters had led a secret expedition to Kamino, and a deal was struck. Clone troopers were to be bred for the war effort, for as long as was needed. The Jedi recognized that Kamino would become their greatest asset, and thus Kamino was now surrounded by several Golan VII space defense stations, and an entire fleet of corvettes, destroyers and a squadron of Laser-Xs, the newest breed of the classic X-wing fighter, was stationed on Kamino itself, ready to repel any Sith invasion.

Loriole steered the shuttle towards one of the Golan stations, Teimos was in the co-pilot seat, reading the list of fresh clone troopers they were supposed to pick up, along with the recovered veterans who had been recuperating on Kamino. The Grey Knight had retreated to a cabin and had stayed there for the entirety of the journey, meditating.

Loriole docked the shuttle in one of the Golan stations, and the trio proceeded to board one of the many shuttles that ferried people to and fro between the planet and the space stations. External ships were not allowed to land on Kamino, for obvious security reasons. Once they had landed on Kamino's capital, Tipoca City, they were ushered indoors, out of the storm.

A Kaminoan greeted them inside, and guided them to a large viewport overlooking an indoor courtyard. In the courtyard, a large troupe of white-armored clone troopers were variously cleaning their blasters or gathering equipment.

"Your clones, master Jedi. They will be ready to move out in just under an hour." The Kaminoan intoned, before leaving them in the small room with refreshments.

Loriole and Teimos sat down and busied themselves chowing down on the food. The journey here had been long, and the food on the shuttle tasted like cardboard. The Grey Knight, however, stared off into space, seemingly lost in his thoughts. Teimos glanced up at him, and with his mouth full, mumbled a question to the stranger. "What's wrong?"

The Grey Knight seemed to ponder this question a while before replying. "Something feels off. A… dark presence, but it feels…muted. Hidden."

Loriole looked up from her caf and exchanged a look with Teimos. They both extended themselves in the Force, but felt nothing besides the thousands of Force presences of the many clones and Kaminoans who lived on Tipoca City. What worried Loriole was that if whoever was hiding here was able to conceal themselves from the Jedi for so long, he or she would probably be very powerful, to the point where only a Grey Knight was barely able to detect them.

After a while, the Grey Knight stood up, and told the two Jedi, "Go on with the clones and rendezvous with the _Amidala_. I will investigate this presence and join you later."

"But…" Loriole started.

The Grey Knight held up his hand to silence her. "I have my own mode of transport. You need not worry about me." He then silently left the room, armored robes swishing behind him. Loriole glanced at the closing door, but said nothing.

Half an hour later, the two Jedi and the clones had arrived at the Golan station, and less than 20 standard minutes later, they had departed on their own shuttle. The _Amidala_ was currently in the Klatooine system, so Loriole set their ship on a heading for Klatooine, and punched the hyperdrive.

*back on Kamino*

The Grey Knight silently walked through the pouring rain, all the way until he reached the edge of Tipoca City. He leaned over the railing and took a look at the roiling sea. Then, without even a hint of hesitation, he jumped over the edge. He used the Force to gently push himself in the direction of one of the massive stilts that held up Tipoca City. He landed gently on the bottom of a stilt, near a maintenance hatch, unperturbed by the slick and barnacled surface.

The Grey Knight gently prised open the hatch with the Force and stepped inside the dark tunnel. The first thing he saw was a thermal detonator strapped to the wall, and through his helmet's night vision he could identify at least 5 more on the walls around. The dark presence was just ahead. The Grey Knight forged onwards through the dank and musty tunnel.

Presently, the Grey Knight emerged into a dim room, with yet more thermal detonators strapped to the wall. A figure in dark robes was busying himself affixing another detonator to the wall. The Grey Knight recognized the symbol on the robes, identifying the figure as a member of the One Sith.

The Grey Knight silently approached the Sith. Suddenly, the Sith spun on his heel and slashed at him, red lightsaber appearing out of seemingly nowhere, but the Grey Knight caught the attack on his own white blade, igniting it a split second before the crimson blade struck it. The Grey Knight stepped back as the Sith entered a defensive stance, giving himself space to ignite the black blade on the other end of his lightsaber. The Sith launched himself at the Grey Knight, but he easily parried away the Sith's blade. Judging from how awkward he was with the blade, the Grey Knight guessed this Sith was more of a saboteur than a warrior. The Grey Knight waited for the Sith's next slash, and slightly twitched his blade.

The Sith's pained scream penetrated the stale air, followed by the acrid smell of charred flesh. A pair of severed hands and a deactivated lightsaber landed on the ground.

The Sith lay on the ground, panting. The Grey Knight pointed his lightsaber at the Sith's chest. The Sith spat at him. "Well? Finish it!"

The Grey Knight shook his head. "Not yet. I have many things to ask you. Believe me, your death, when it comes, will be quick and painless, I promise." Then he shocked him a jolt of Force lightning. "Unless you refuse to cooperate."

The Sith screamed in pain and begged for mercy. The Grey Knight looked down at him. "We're just getting started."

*Klatooine system*

The little shuttle dropped out of hyperspace with little more than a slight bump. The clone pilot in the seat immediately powered up the shuttle's ion drives and steered it towards the large frigate waiting for them.

The _Amidala_ , a massive Destructor-class frigate, hung in the vast emptiness of space, silhouetted against the dying sun of the former slave system. Its flanks bristled with turbolaser batteries, and its bridge stood tall on the ship, looking out with a perfect view of its surroundings. The dagger-shaped craft was eerily reminiscent of a Star Destroyer, but was much, much smaller, and a lot faster too, thanks to its multiple ion drives, each so huge at least 4 of Loriole's small shuttle could fit inside. And the _Amidala_ had 6 of these ion drives. The 700 meter long _Amidala_ also possessed a squadron of Laser-Xs and the latest Y-Speedsters, the newest iteration of the Y-wing, helmed by some of the finest clone pilots ever known.

Loriole watched as the shuttle approached the large ship. The clone pilot manipulated the controls easily, bringing the shuttle above the frigate. The _Amidala_ dwarfed the small front viewport. The large hangar door opened, and the shuttle descended into the narrow aperture, then slowly glided through a small forcefield into the hangar.

The shuttle gently settled down onto its landing struts as the hangar cover closed with a barely audible pneumatic hiss. Loriole and Teimos stepped out, followed closely by the squad of new clone troopers as the pilots carried out a few shutdown checks. They surveyed the sterile grey surfaces of the large frigate.

At this point, a tall, middle-aged man in the flowing brown robes of a Jedi Master noticed them, and made his way over with long confident strides.

"Jedi Knights Hybergo and Ashkander, what a pleasure to finally meet." His booming voice echoed around the relatively quiet hangar.

Loriole and Teimos turned at the unexpected greeting, and bowed when they saw Master Pong Fel approaching with a clone in battle-scarred armor, marked with what had once been a bright green colour, but was now faded over the course of countless battles. The clones saluted as Master Fel and the clone commander drew near.

Jedi Master Pong Fel was very highly regarded among both the Jedi and and the ranks of the clones. His feats in the battlefields were legend. The man himself was the direct descendant of Jagged Fel, renowned Imperial pilot, and Jedi Master Jaina Solo, Sword of the Jedi. He had a soft brown beard, and his hair was a lush hazel colour, streaked with grey. His kind green eyes twinkled with intelligence, and a silver lightsaber hung at his belt.

Master Fel stopped in front of the shuttle's occupants. "At ease gentlemen."

The clones immediately snapped into identical positions, feet slightly apart, and arms at their side. Master Fel turned to the clone commander next to him. "Commander Warnd, please show these new clones to their quarters."

The commander saluted Master Fel sharply. "Right away General." He then turned to face the assembled clones. "Alright shinies, come along with me." As they left, Loriole couldn't help but be amused at the clones' confusion, evident by all the muttering. Clearly they did not know why new clones were called "shinies".

The clones taken care of, Master Fel turned to the 2 Jedi. "It is a wonderful honour to meet you two brave Knights. I heard about Tatooine, what a terrible battle took place there. I trust you have fully recovered since then?"

Loriole was pleasantly surprised that Master Fel would take the time to learn about them, much less worry about the wounds they had sustained just a few months ago. "We are fine Master Fel, thank you for your concern. But the honour is ours, we are truly honoured to be in the presence of a great Jedi Master like you." She bowed deep and long. Teimos followed suit.

The kindly Jedi Master chuckled. "Come along now, let's get to the bridge before we jump into hyperspace." He led them away from the shuttle, towards the nearest set of turbolifts.

As they walked, Master Fel pointed to the side, gesturing for the two Jedi Knights to look. Loriole and Teimos turned their heads. There, standing in all their glory, were two wedge-shaped fighters, gleaming in the artificial light of the hangar. Their bright paint flashed in the light, showing off the Jedi symbol on their flanks and the shining laser cannons.

The two Knights were like little childlings, gaping in awe at the two spanking new Jedi fighters. Master Fel chuckled once again at the two Knights. Oh how he missed being young and naïve. "Grand Master Skywalker alerted me that you would be joining my ship soon, and he also had these delivered to the _Amidala_ in preparation for your arrival. Oh that's right, I was told there would be a third Force-user, some sort of Grey Knight? Where is he?"

Loriole glanced at Teimos. "Well, Master, he stayed behind on Kamino to investigate some sort of 'dark presence', he said he would catch up with us soon and that he had his own method of transport."

"Hmm…" Master Fel appeared lost in thought. By this time, the 3 Jedi had arrived at the bridge level. They stepped out of the turbolift. Loriole and Teimos gasped. The bridge was a hive of activity, with clones bustling back and forth. There were sensor array operators, weapons operators, Starfighter coordination operators, you name it. Control panels glittered with thousands of blinking lights, and the three pilots needed to man the massive frigate were prepping the ship for its next jump. The view from the massive front viewport was unbelievable. The darkness of deep space was laid out before the _Amidala_ like a canvas, punctured only by the pinpricks of light that were distant stars.

Master Fel turned to the two Jedi Knights. "Just before you arrived, I received a transmission from Grand Master Skywalker. It appears the Lost Tribe are gathering their forces to attack the Fresia system, headquarters of the Incom Corporation and site of their largest manufacturing factory." He paused to let that sink in. Teimos started. "Isn't Incom Corporation manufacturing X-wings for us?"

Master Fel nodded gravely. "We will be joined by two other frigates, the _Starkiller_ and the _Jaina_. We must prepare. This will not be an easy fight. The Sith seek to knock out our starfighter capability and cripple our fleet. We must fight back and defeat them." Loriole and Teimos nodded grimly.

Just then, the _Amidala_ 's pilots activated the ship's hyperdrive, and the sleek frigate shot into hyperspace, leaving Klatooine behind.

 **A/N hey guys, this is the 3rd chapter to the story, sorry it took quite a while, but i've been busy celebrating the end of exams, and i've also been reading other people's fanfictions, but finally here is the 3rd chapter. don't worry that there isn't much action in this chappie, i promise there will be an epic battle in the next one.**

 **as always, do feel free to leave reviews commenting on my writing, and do please give me ideas for names, its really difficult for me to think of any names, as you can see from the last two frigate names.**

 **and finally, don't forget to enjoy the story.**

 **stay awesome,**

 **Darkrai the Slayer**


	5. Chapter 4: Battle for Fresia

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars.**

 **All content is strictly non-canon**

Chapter 4: Battle for Fresia

*aboard Lost Tribe command ship*

Senior Sith Saber Itoryo Kanghar stood on the bridge of the _Vestara_ , a Grand Lord-class frigate and command ship for the attack on Fresia. The purple-skinned Keshiri calmly surveyed the various other staff from her planet, both human and Keshiri, some Force-sensitive but some not, that manned the large ship.

"Feeling nervous, Saber Kanghar?" Itoryo started, and she turned at the sound of the High Lord in command of the ship addressing her directly. High Lord Yertasdo Hallk was a tall, fair-skinned human, strong in the Force and one of the best with his twin lightsabers, at least as far as Itoryo knew. Itoryo had been active in the war effort since young, starting to run active field missions at the young age of 18, but at 23, this was her first major engagement, and naturally her nervousness was easily picked up by the kindly High Lord.

High Lord Hallk looked down at her from his command seat, a gentle smile on his face. "It is natural to feel nervous, Saber Kanghar. Only the foolish do not feel such emotions before a battle. Let the Force guide you, and you shall do alright."

Itoryo nodded her thanks, even as the High Lord turned away to deal with other matters. She couldn't shake the feeling of dread that was slowly creeping up on her, and she had a feeling the Force was not on her side today, even as the _Vestara_ prepared for the final jump, the jump that would take it into the Fre'ji system.

*a few days ago, in the Jedi Temple*

The Jedi Masters took their respective seats in one of the conference rooms. The Grey Knight remained standing. Jedi Grand Master Jagnord Skywalker spoke up first. "Well Mr Grey Knight, what information do you have that is so important?"

The Grey Knight started to talk. "As you may or may not know, the Celestials were seemingly killed during a mission to the Mortis Monolith, a mission that involved three Jedi Knights, one of them the Chosen One. More recently the dark side entity Abeloth was also defeated. The Dagger of Mortis, which seemingly killed the Celestials, did not actually do so. What it actually did was to scatter the Celestials' Force essences in a way that it would take a very long amount of time to recover. What the Jedi recently did with Abeloth, killing all her avatars and defeating her Beyond Shadows simultaneously achieved the same thing, dispersing her Force essence in such a way that it would take her many centuries to even be able to pose even a minor threat. However, that is not my concern today. Me and 99 of my brothers and sisters were awakened by the Father, because a much greater threat faces the galaxy now. You see, Abeloth was but one of many dark side entities, and she was only a weaker member, sent to test the capabilities of our galaxy. Luckily for us, the Celestials were able to contain her. After that she broke free and the battle to defeat her began, as we all know. This group of dark side entities, known to the Celestials as the Devourers, resides in a free-floating monolith just beyond our galaxy. They feed off stars, and they have already consumed and destroyed several galaxies. The Celestials were aware of this threat, and they have done their best to protect our galaxy. By imprisoning Abeloth, they ensured that she could not return to the Devourers, thus making sure that they would not be able to regain full strength, hence they have been unable to attack our galaxy. But now, Abeloth is reforming, and once she is fully recovered, she will return to the Devourers, and they will attack our galaxy."

The entire Jedi council was silent after hearing this. Abeloth had been enough of a threat, so now the discovery of an entire group of beings just as powerful if not more powerful than Abeloth chilled the Jedi to the core. And yet the Grey Knight was not finished.

"The Celestials are also reforming, and they will aid us in this coming battle. They will be choosing champions to represent them in battle, for ancient laws dictated by the Creators themselves had decreed that Celestial beings may not engage each other directly in combat, a law that both major and minor Celestials across several galaxies have honored for millennia upon millennia. The Devourers will also be choosing champions to fight for them. If their champions win, our Celestials will be forced to sit idly by and watch as our galaxy is consumed and destroyed, before being forced to fade permanently themselves. It is imperative that we hold out against the Sith until the Celestials are fully reformed, as they are the only ones who can restore peace to the galaxy and unite us in the battle against the Devourers."

The various Jedi Masters instantly started whispering to each other, debating a course of action. The Grey Knight raised his hand for silence. The Jedi Council gradually fell silent. "I have another piece of news, one that is much more pressing and urgent. I have learned from one of my sisters that the Lost Tribe is planning to attack the planet of Fresia, aiming to cripple the Jedi Order's starfighter capability."

The conference room immediately broke out into another chorus of indiscernible chatter as the Jedi Council discussed this new development. Unperturbed, the Grey Knight continued. "I will be there to assist in the battle, as will a few of my brothers and sisters."

Jagnord got up amidst the commotion and took control of the situation, and despite his calm demeanor, he was badly shaken inside by the news. Calming the assembled Jedi Masters, he took stock, and when he spoke, his voice was even, not betraying the underlying worry. "There need not be any anxiety, my fellow Jedi. We must take this one step at a time. First, let us deal with this imminent attack on Fresia, then, we shall plan for this upcoming battle with these 'Devourers'. Council dismissed."

*present day, aboard Jedi frigate _Amidala_ *

The sleek _Destructor_ -class frigate shot through hyperspace. This was the final jump before they would reach Fresia. The _Amidala_ had stopped at a Jedi fueling station based in an obscure asteroid belt to resupply and rendezvous with the _Starkiller_ and the _Jaina_. It was there that the mysterious Grey Knight had rejoined them, his meditation sphere zipping out of nowhere and flying completely unannounced into the main hangar. A brief scuffle had ensued when he was greeted by several blaster rifles held by some very confused clones. The clones were of course alright, if one considered broken ribs and several concussions 'alright'. Loriole still had no idea how he had arrived at the distant fuel outpost so quickly from Kamino, let alone how he knew where they were going to rendezvous in the first place. When she questioned him about it, he simply replied that it was not a difficult task to track down Jedi Master Fel's Force presence, leaving Loriole greatly in awe of the Grey Knight's abilities. When she mentioned this to Teimos though, he simply grunted acknowledgement and refused to comment. Loriole sensed something strange in his Force aura, but he hid it quickly, and she thought nothing of it. Master Fel seemed to be able to pinpoint it though, and although neither Loriole nor Teimos saw him, he was watching Teimos closely. "Jealousy… hmm. This is an interesting development." He muttered.

* * *

Pong Fel retreated to his private cabin to meditate for the remainder of the journey. The recent Jedi Council meeting a few days ago, which he had attended via live hologram feed, still weighed heavily on his mind. Few things troubled the battle-hardened Jedi Master, but the news of the mysterious group of dark side entities called the 'Devourers' greatly worried the seasoned warrior. Soon after the meeting, he had meditated for a while, calling on the Force to provide guidance. When he opened his eyes, lo and behold, the Force ghosts of none other than Anakin and Luke Skywalker stood before him, the two Jedi who had first-hand experience with the Celestials and Abeloth respectively. After a long conversation, he was left even more depressed than before, having his fears confirmed. They had also given him forewarning of the Sith's impending attack on Fresia, hence he was already on his way there when the call came in from the Grand Master himself, and it was a simple matter of rerouting to Klatooine, which wasn't actually far off from his original route.

But Master Fel knew, now was not the time to dwell on the impending battle with the Devourers. The Grey Knight had confirmed that it was still a few years away, plenty of time to prepare for the fight, but also plenty of time to battle the Sith.

Just then, his comlink beeped. Master Fel was surprised. He had told the bridge crew only to alert him when they were getting close to Fresia. He was pretty sure they were at least a few hundred light years away, and they weren't supposed to arrive any time soon. "What is it?" Pong Fel spoke annoyedly into the comlink.

"Master Fel, the Grey Knight is insisting on using our long-distance communications to contact the Jedi Temple, should we let him?" The clone's voice came through the comlink.

Master Fel sighed in defeat and replied "Hold him, I'll be coming right up." So much for meditation.

Master Fel stepped out of the turbolift in a foul mood. The clones knew to stay out of Master Fel's way, for the usually good-tempered Jedi Master was scary when angry. Fel steamed towards the communications console, where the impassive Grey Knight was having a face-off with a red-faced clone captain. Fel sighed and stopped in front of the pair. "What happens to be the problem, Captain?"

The weathered clone captain snorted. "Problem? What's the problem you ask? This Grey Knight is insisting on using our secure long-distance communications to contact the Jedi Temple. He came out of nowhere, and now he wants to do this? How do we know that he isn't a security threat except on your words, General?"

Master Fel was exasperated. "If he has an urgent message, let him send it. I'll make sure he does not compromise us."

The clone captain sighed and turned away. The Grey Knight nodded his appreciation. Master Fel could detect a hint of amusement in the Grey Knight's Force aura.

After a while, the connection was established and a fuzzy hologram popped up. Jedi Grand Master Jagnord Skywalker's weary face appeared. He didn't seem bothered that the Grey Knight was the one contacting him. "What is so urgent that you need to contact me like this?"

The Grey Knight replied, "Sorry to disturb you Grand Master, but I have made a discovery that may be very dangerous for the Jedi Order. I have uncovered One Sith saboteurs on Kamino. I have of course eliminated them, but I suggest that you fortify the defenses. It would be very detrimental if a sneaky fox snuck into the henhouse."

Jagnord seemed troubled by this, but he seemed calm enough when he replied, "I see. Thank you very much, I will look into this and take the appropriate measures. Good luck with your battle."

The hologram fizzed out. The Grey Knight stepped away from the communications console, gesturing for the fuming clone captain to return to his post. The captain did seem slightly placated that the Grey Knight had uncovered and eliminated a threat to the only place the clones could remotely call home, though he was still grumbling even as the Grey Knight left the bridge in a turbolift.

* * *

Loriole, Teimos, Fel and the Grey Knight stood at the bridge of the _Amidala_ , watching the large tactical display as they approached the last leg of the hyperspace jump. The Lost Tribe had started their assault on Fresia, and so far, the planetary defenses were holding up. Master Fel grimaced. The bright dots on the screen showed a veritable swarm of Lost Tribe starfighters battling against the much smaller force of Fresian defense fighters. A pair of larger triangles represented the Lost Tribe frigates in command of the offensive, hanging back slightly.

Master Fel gestured to the communications console. The clone captain nodded, and called up a live hologram feed from the bridges of the _Starkiller_ and the _Jaina_. The fuzzy images of Jedi Masters Kimate Hudrya and Eruam Ulku, respective commanders of the two other frigates, popped up. The three Jedi and the Grey Knight gathered around the projected hologram and the tactical display to discuss and go over the strategy for the counterattack.

*aboard the _Vestara_ *

Itoryo stood on the bridge of the _Vestara_ , watching impassively as the battle unfolded in the dark space around Fresia. Bright flashes of light burst, blossomed, and faded as starfighters exploded. High Lord Hallk was watching the battle intently, both through the front viewport and the tactical display. Small pinpoints of light represented the Lost Tribe starfighters and the dwindling Fresian defense fighters. The battle was going well so far, but the Fresians were persistent in defending their planet, and there was still the matter of the ground defenses, and the longer the battle dragged out, the higher the chances the Jedi Order would send reinforcements, in which case the battle would go downhill, very quickly. They needed to get troops on the ground as soon as possible, in order to deal as much damage as possible to the starfighter factories before Jedi reinforcements arrived.

After a few more minutes, the Lost Tribe basically had control of the space around Fresia, with the last of the Fresian defense fighters beating a hasty retreat, hounded by the Lost Tribe fighters. High Lord Hallk stood up. "It is time!" He declared. "Send in the ground troops! Saber Kanghar, lead the offensive!"

Itoryo nodded in confirmation, and hurried down to the main hangar where the landing ships were on standby. The senior Saber had only taken part in minor skirmishes here and there, and despite the strange feeling of dread, even the hype of such a major battle, one with the chance of wiping out the Jedi's chance of fighting back, was able to get her excited.

*aboard the _Amidala*_

The three frigates dropped out of hyperspace with barely a bump. The battle was raging around the small planet, and it was a losing battle. The Fresian defense fighters were almost entirely gone, destroyed by the horde of Lost Tribe fighters. Master Fel narrowed his eyes. The squadrons of Laser-Xs and Y-Speedsters had been standing by in the hangar, ready to launch at his command. He knew the situation was the same in the _Starkiller_ and the _Jaina_.

He watched as the tattered remainder of the Fresian defense fighters made their way towards the new arrivals in the system. Fel nodded to the nearby clone, and the clone pressed a button on his console, and Fel watched as the Laser-Xs and Y-Speedsters swarmed out of the three frigates' hangars. The swarm rushed towards the collection of Lost Tribe starfighters, all laser cannons blazing away.

Loriole could see the two Lost Tribe frigates in the distance. The large teardrop shaped ships were certainly pretty to look at, but that meant there was less space for turbolaser batteries, and the shield generators would have a much harder time protecting the ship. There was also generally a lot less space on the ships. For once, the Keshiri obsession with beauty seemed to be in their favour. Actually, that seemed to the case with their ships all the time.

The two frigates currently seemed to be disgorging the last of the ships that could be held in their relatively miniscule holds. From this distance, Loriole could only guess that they were starfighters, but then a small group, easily six or seven ships, peeled away from the main group and made a beeline straight for the planet itself, dodging some fire from the planetary defenders.

Loriole tugged at Master Fel's sleeve and wordlessly pointed at the small group of landing ships. Master Fel nodded acknowledgement, and gestured that it was time for Loriole and Teimos to take the clones to the ground and repel the Sith. The two Jedi Knights rushed down to the hangar, where their clone transports were waiting with their clone squads inside.

*aboard Lost Tribe landing ship*

Itoryo sat in her seat. The shuttle plummeted straight towards the planet. Streaks of bright light shot upwards towards the landing ships. Planetary defense lasers. The shuttle rocked and jolted as it was pummelled with high-energy blasts. The interior lights dimmed as the small shield generator sucked power from less important systems.

Itoryo looked straight ahead through the front viewport, as did her Keshiri companions, each armed to the teeth with blasters, the customary glass _shikkar_ , and covered from head to toe in black protective armor, with jawguards concealing their faces so only their eyes were visible, and they were deadly eyes.

The small shuttles shook and shuddered as the lasers assaulted their small frames, groaning with each hit. Soon, as they drew near the atmosphere of Fresia, the hits were coming in faster, harder, and more frequently. Itoryo started as one of the lasers scored a direct hit on the ailing ship next to hers, knocking out its shield generator. Itoryo knew that without the shield generator, the landing ship had little chance of getting to the surface without burning up, let alone in one piece.

The landing ships then entered the atmosphere, becoming even larger targets as flaming contrails surrounded the ships. The lights dimmed to the point where it was almost completely dark as the shield generator took up the strain of keeping the ship together amidst the burning heat and the never-ending laser barrage.

Itoryo grimaced and hoped the ship would hold together long enough to breach the atmosphere, then she could start taking evasive action and steer away from the multiple laser cannon emplacements. Right now all she could see out the front viewport was red, the air burning up as her shuttle rocketed through the atmosphere of Fresia.

*aboard Jedi shuttle*

Loriole's journey was comparatively smoother, mainly because there were no laser cannons shooting at her shuttles. The convoy of around 10 shuttles, each containing at least 20 clones, powered towards Fresia in an arrowhead formation, escorted by the last remnants of the Fresian defense starfighters. The battered and scorched X-wings had been through hell and barely survived, yet the captain of the squadron had insisted on escorting the shuttles to Fresia, even though most of the firepower available belonged to the shuttles, so it seemed more like the shuttles were escorting the wounded fighters back to base.

Loriole could see the Lost Tribe landing ships in the distance, taking heavy fire from the planetary laser cannons. She watched with grim satisfaction as one of the high-powered lasers scored a direct hit on one ship, sending it careening in a death spiral, sparks shooting from the gaping wound on its side. One less ship full of Sith and Keshiri warriors to fight.

The 10 shuttles swung gracefully into position for entry into the Fresian atmosphere. The damaged X-wings turned back towards the three Jedi frigates, for they were in no condition for re-entry.

Once the shuttles had entered the atmosphere, they split apart, each shuttle taking its payload of clones to a designated area so they could defend against the Sith onslaught.

Loriole's shuttle powered towards the main capital city of Fresia. Large grey cannon emplacements surrounded the fortress city, and most were now pointed at the sky in anticipation of the Sith landing ships. Teimos was in another shuttle, but Loriole had no doubt they would be meeting soon again, probably on the battlefield.

* * *

Itoryo kicked open the front hatch and stepped out, feeling groggy. The scorched and battered shuttle had ironically crash-landed in a field of beautiful flowers, standing out like, well, like a burnt and damaged shuttle in a field of flowers.

Using the Force to get a grip on herself, Itoryo took stock of her surroundings. The shuttle was damaged beyond repair, and taking a closer look, Itoryo wondered how it was even able to have survived the journey at all. The port side stabilizer had been all but vaped, and a soot-blackened stump was all that remained. The young woman marvelled at how it had even been able to fly straight in the first place.

The rest of the Keshiri warriors had exited the wrecked shuttle by now. Itoryo gracefully flicked her mane of shoulder-length raven hair over her shoulder, and wordlessly, marched off into the forest, the black-clad warriors easily keeping pace with the fit Saber.

* * *

Loriole paced the outer ramparts of the fortified wall surrounding the city. There had yet to be a sign of the Sith, yet tension welled up in her like a breaking current. The storm overhead was brewing. Lightning flashed in the eye of the maelstrom. From her datapad, Loriole could keep an eye on the rest of the clone deployments. They had arranged themselves in loose circles around the most important instalments, like supply factories, manufacturing facilities, and the docks as well, in case the Sith decided to try for an aquatic assault. Jedi Master Fel had remained on the _Amidala_ to ensure that the Lost Tribe starfighters and frigates would be defeated, but he was also coordinating the counterattack from above. The Grey Knight had remained on the ship, claiming he would intervene 'as he saw fit'.

A clone walked up to Loriole with a datapad in his hands. "Here are the last known radar signals of the Sith landing ships."

Loriole took the datapad from the clone, nodding her thanks. Consulting it, she saw the major possible targets listed as large green triangles, with the Jedi forces labelled with small yellow dots, and medium-sized red circles represented the last known positions of the Sith landing ships. The closest one had apparently landed almost two standard kilometres away, in a former mine, now abandoned. The others had been scattered across the planet, some nearly halfway around the planet from the factories near some remote town, one had even landed in the ocean, right smack bang in the middle. No chance of those Sith surviving.

Loriole set the datapad down. Nothing much she could do now. All she could do was wait for the storm to break, and weather it as best as she could.

Overhead, the first drops of rain started falling.

* * *

Itoryo ran through the dense jungle, her Keshiri warriors close behind. The heavy rain pelted her slender face. Her pitch black hair was plastered to her scalp and face, and her robes were soaked through. She did not need a map, she simply used the Force to guide her, leading her in the direction of where the most Force presences were gathered. It helped that clones were not very good at concealing their emotions, and the nearest gathering of clones was a veritable storm of roiling nervousness, tension, and excitement.

Itoryo stopped in a clearing. The 25 young Keshiri warriors also stopped, not even out of breath. Water trickled down their helmets and armor in smooth rivulets. They were ready for the attack, but she could feel the same emotions that she could detect from the clones. She made a gesture with her hands, and all 26 of them knelt as one to meditate. It didn't matter that some of them were not Force-sensitive, they shared the moment and calmed their nerves, in the middle of the jungle, with the rain pouring down.

* * *

CT-4208, also known by his nickname Weedy, was in no mood for meditation, no matter how much his commanders promoted it as a way to calm his nerves. Partly because he was in a duel for his life, spinning his Laser-X to avoid a sudden barrage of lasers from a Lost Tribe fighter that literally came out of nowhere from behind one of Fresia's many moons. Grimacing, he pulled his fighter into a tight spin, barrelling straight down in an effort to shake the determined Sith fighter. The Lost Tribe fighter tried to follow, but it couldn't handle the high-speed turn and flipped out, tumbling end over end. Weedy seized the opportunity and pulled out of the high-g manoeuvre, gunning for the out-of-control fighter. The Lost Tribes' isolation with regard to the rest of the galaxy meant they were always one step behind when it came to technological developments, and that was always a great help when it came to dogfights.

Weedy put the Lost Tribe fighter in his sights, and fired. The four wingtip-mounted cannons chugged away, and Weedy felt the usual rush of adrenaline as the Lost Tribe fighter exploded in a blossom of light as the lasers connected. A voice came in over his helmet mounted com, "Good kill Gold One, good kill." Weedy grunted in acknowledgement as he sighted another Lost Tribe fighter making a run for it towards one of Fresia's giant moons and turned his fighter to chase after it. One more kill and the seasoned clone pilot would become a triple ace.

Weedy's ship was the newest model of the classic X-wing fighter, the T90 Laser-X, B-variant. Its four wingtip-cannons could shred an enemy fighter in seconds, and its four ion drives could propel it at speeds quicker than just about any other craft in the galaxy. Sleek and manoeuvrable, it was a far cry from the bulky and square craft that had destroyed the original Death Star. The fighter that Weedy was flying now, the B-variant, was slightly larger than its A-variant counterpart, sacrificing some speed and manoeuvrability in return for a larger proton torpedo capacity and more powerful laser cannons.

Weedy gripped the yoke, steering his ship towards one of Fresia's moons. The R10-G7 astromech droid in the back of his ship beeped a warning about the moon's gravity. "Got it Arten. I'm going for this guy."

Weedy knew that the Lost Tribe fighter was attempting a manoeuvre known as a slingshot, using the moon's weak gravity to propel his ship back into combat with greatly increased speeds, giving him the edge against the faster X- and Y-wings.

The Lost Tribe fighter disappeared behind the moon. Arten tweedled, and a screen with the calculations of the route the Lost Tribe fighter would take popped up. Weedy twitched the yoke, gunning for the far side of the moon, trying to meet the Lost Tribe fighter at the end of its manoeuvre. Based on his screen prediction, Weedy positioned the craft and pulled the trigger. The four mounted cannons fired away, the coloured streaks tearing through space. Right on cue, the Lost Tribe fighter blasted out from behind the moon, right into the path of the continuous laser stream. The lasers slammed into the Lost Tribe fighter, ripping it apart. A split second later, the fighter disappeared in a blossom of fire and light.

The new triple ace swung his ship back towards the main battle. Weedy felt satisfied with yet another kill under his belt, and he hungered for more. Suddenly Arten screamed a warning with a shrill beep. On instinct, Weedy rolled the ship, just as a barrage of lasers flashed past him. But he wasn't fast enough, and a few lasers impacted against his fighter, shredding his lower left S-foil. In the corner of his eye, Weedy could see yet another Lost Tribe fighter, one that had snuck up on him, shoot past. Weedy struggled to regain control of his ship as it tumbled through space.

When it finally stabilized, Weedy could see the Lost Tribe fighter swinging back around for the killing pass. The clone could do nothing, his fighter completely immobile. He could only sit and watch as the enemy fighter put itself on a course to destroy his ship.

The Lost Tribe fighter flew towards Weedy at phenomenal speeds. Weedy knew that this was the end, and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

All of a sudden, the Lost Tribe fighter exploded. Weedy blanched, until he saw a Y-Speedster blast past, laser cannons still glowing red-hot from the volley they had fired. The relieved Weedy spoke into his helmet com, acknowledging the save. "Thanks for that, Red One, appreciate it."

The pilot of the Y-wing in question wiggled his wings as he flew back to the main battle, even as the _Amidala_ started pulling Weedy's wounded fighter back with one of its many tractor beams. Weedy would live to dogfight another day, but his role in this particular battle was over.

*aboard the _Amidala_ *

Master Fel was satisfied with the way the battle was progressing. Many Lost Tribe fighters had been destroyed, with only minimal loss from the Jedi's side. Some fighters had been damaged and incapacitated, but they had been safely recovered. Just then, a clone sitting at a console waved to Master Fel. "General, our turbolaser batteries are in range of the Sith frigates." Master Fel nodded. "Fire at will." He commanded.

A rhythmic thumping reverberated through the ship as the turbolasers discharged their deadly energies. The Jedi fighters were smart enough to scatter when the lasers started flashing from the frigates, but the Lost Tribe fighters were not so lucky and some ships were completely incinerated by the high-energy blasts.

The turbolasers smashed into the Lost Tribe frigates, exploding but leaving not much outward damage, courtesy of the frigates' shields. The fact that they did not return fire was a sign that they were not even in range yet, another testament to the technological superiority of the Jedi Order.

Fel ordered the three Jedi frigates be halted, and continue firing from their current position. He sat back with a grim smile on his face. This battle was one the Jedi would win.

*on Fresia*

The battle had begun. Lasers flashed back and forth between both sides. Teimos watched from a command tent set up some way behind the front lines. Under cover of the storm, the Lost Tribe's warriors had dug themselves in, and now they were launching a full-scale assault on the manufacturing facility Teimos had been assigned to. Understandably, the assault was not going well for the Sith. Some clones had been felled in their surprise offense, and their brothers had responded with vengeance, raining artillery fire and lasers on the Sith positions. Occasionally a sniper from either side would score a kill, felling one of the opposition, but another would take his/her place just as quickly, returning fire and forcing the other to take cover.

Teimos rubbed his temples. This battle was dragging out for a long time, and the clones were wasting ammunition firing away at the Sith positions when they were obviously well dug in. The commander of this particular platoon, a weathered old clone captain nicknamed Grizzly, agreed with Teimos on this. The majority of the Sith force could have already moved to another position under cover of the heavy fire while leaving a small number to keep up the impression of their presence.

The clone captain had wisely predicted such a situation, and did not move all of his forces to the front, instead ordering the clones to maintain the circular defensive ring around the factory to prevent a flanking attack while the firepower was directed at the Sith's current encampment.

Teimos had a strange feeling, like his danger sense was constantly tingling, but he couldn't tell from what. Almost by instinct, he reached out in the force, searching for the Sith presences. As he expected, there were only a few people in the encampment the rookie clones were now pummelling with their fire. But to his sudden horror, he could feel the Keshiri warriors' presence all around them, surrounding the entire factory and its defensive ring of clone troopers.

Right on cue, explosions rang out, accompanied by the pained screams of wounded clone troopers. Immediately after, the sound of blaster rifles and laser cannons discharging filled the air. The Sith had just launched the real assault on the factory, and they had taken the clones completely by surprise.

* * *

Itoryo's plan had worked to perfection. While a fraction of her forces had distracted the clones with a diversion, she had led the remainder, comprising of Keshiri warriors both from her own landing ship as well as others, to sneak around the back and prepare an ambush, using cover of the heavy rain to creep up on the clone emplacements and leave thermal detonators in key positions. Then she had waited for the right time, trying to make sure the clones wasted as much ammunition as possible.

Then, when she had unexpectedly felt a touch in the Force, a light-side presence, followed by an overwhelming sense of surprise and shock, she had ordered the commencement of the attack.

The explosions had taken the clones by surprise, blasting their defensive ring apart, leaving gaping holes in positions which once had large laser cannons and artillery guns residing in, which were now filled up by more clones. Then again, clones were easier to deal with than cannons and artillery.

Itoryo watched as her warriors drew the clones' fire to both sides of one of the largest holes, leaving a clear path. The clones were firing blindly, and again under cover of the rain, Itoryo led a small group of her best fighters and saboteurs, hunkered down to avoid being accidentally shot, towards the factory. Itoryo was determined to complete her mission.

* * *

Teimos knew. The Sith had broken through. He ran to the factory, flowing robes soaked by the rain. He had stationed an entire squadron of clones inside the factory, with snipers in the raftings, in the event that such a possibility would occur. He could sense the sole dark side presence among the Keshiri warriors that had snuck into the factory. He had called ahead on his com, ordering the clones to conceal themselves, so as to ambush the Keshiri warriors and better eliminate them. They had gotten the better of him, and he was more than delighted to pay them back in kind.

* * *

Itoryo and her warriors crept into the factory. The large cavernous space was darkened, and it appeared to be abandoned. Itoryo smirked at the Jedi's complacency. Clearly they had not anticipated that the Lost Tribe would be able to break through their defences. But even so, Itoryo felt uneasy. That strange feeling of dread was creeping up on her again. She shrugged it off. She had a mission to complete, and complete it she would.

With a flick of her hand, the Keshiri saboteurs went to work, planting thermal detonators. Itoryo stood in the middle of the factory, surveying her surroundings. Something felt wrong. Then it hit her. Her intel had told her that this was one of the busiest factories on Fresia, yet here it was, completely deserted. Itoryo knew it was a possibility that it would have been evacuated in light of the attack, but to leave the factory itself completely undefended defied logic.

Right at that moment, her danger sense flared, and instinctively she hit the deck. And not a moment too soon. Simultaneously, all the lights in the factory were switched on, blinding the Keshiri, and clone troopers rose out of their hiding places, blaster rifles firing hard, each bolt finding its target with utter accuracy and precision. Bolts were also coming down from the roof, and one caught Itoryo in the leg as she rolled away, looking for cover, making her involuntarily cry out in pain.

Itoryo took refuge behind a large crate as her warriors were decimated by the clones. She could feel their Force presences disappear one by one as they were all killed off. She took stock of her injuries. She had a couple of scrapes from flying debris, but the most serious one by far was the injury to her leg where she had been shot with a high-powered sniper bolt.

Itoryo knew she was in no condition to continue the fight, yet unlike other Sith, she had a will to survive. This was what set her apart from the others. While her peers did not fear death, and recklessly charged into battle and challenged Jedi Masters ten times their superior with lightsabers, Itoryo was able to assess the situation and decide whether or not to engage, which usually resulted in her charges living to fight another day, which made her extremely popular with the warriors, and they clamoured to be assigned to her every time a mission came up.

Itoryo knew that her best chance of survival now was to surrender, and hope that the clones took prisoners. Based on the stories told by the High Lords, it was unlikely. Many Sith had been "taken prisoner" by the clones and the Jedi, offered "sanctuary" from their murderous superiors, and never seen again. Itoryo knew that surrender would warrant execution back on Kesh, but being taken prisoner held the slim chance that they would keep her alive.

Just then, a loud voice boomed out. "Sith, where are you. Step out now, and drop your weapons. If you do so, we will not harm you. But be warned that if we are forced to search for you, we will not be so merciful."

Itoryo knew this was her only chance. She shouted back "I'm over here, but my leg is injured and I can't get up. I will put my weapons on this crate and you can confiscate them, and I promise I will not try anything funny."

Silence. Itoryo wondered if the Jedi was going to kill her. After a while, the Jedi replied, "Alright, put your weapons on the crate. We are coming to you. If you try anything, we will kill you. Understood?"

Itoryo replied, "Understood! I am placing my weapons on the crate now." The raven haired Saber carefully and slowly placed her lightsaber and _shikkar_ on the crate behind her, making sure not to startle the clone troopers with any sudden movements. Once she was done, she was surprised to see the crate float away on the Force, revealing a large, bulky Jedi with a bit of short blond hair on the top of his head, surrounded by clones, but these clones looked different. They had different armor, and had the acronym A.R.C printed on their chest plates.

The huge Jedi looked her over, before seemingly making a decision. "Cuff her, and tend to her injuries. We will bring her with us back to the _Amidala._ "

The ARC troopers nodded and immediately set about restraining her with stun cuffs, before one of the troopers appeared with a first-aid kit, and started to apply bacta-soaked bandages to her wound. Itoryo was pleasantly surprised. So the stories of brutality by the clones were untrue. It wouldn't be the first time the High Lords had lied to their underlings.

*aboard the _Amidala_ *

Master Fel looked out the front viewport. The Lost Tribe had been all but beaten. The Jedi starfighters were just cleaning up the last of the Sith fighters, one of the Lost Tribe frigates had been destroyed, and the other was heavily damaged and had retreated, escaping into hyperspace. He had also received reports from the respective Jedi Knights on the ground, both Loriole and Teimos as well as the Jedi Knights assigned to the _Starkiller_ and the _Jaina_ , that the Sith offensive had been repelled and the Lost Tribe fighters had been defeated.

Pleased, Master Fel nodded to a clone captain, and soon a connection to the Jedi Temple was established. Time to tell the Grand Master the good news.

*Jedi Temple, Coruscant*

Jagnord clicked off the hologram, delighted by the wonderful news from Fresia. Jagnord watched as the gathered Jedi Masters cheered, and he dismissed them to celebrate. He needed privacy for this next task.

Retreating to his office, he locked the door, pulled down the blinds and dimmed the lights. He called up a hologram of a sphere-like object, only it was partially completed. A progress bar hung above it, indicating it was still a way off from completion. Jagnord knew his secret project was currently orbiting the remote planet of Dagobah, with an army of droids working on it tirelessly day and night. It would be his trump card against the Lost Tribe. And he couldn't wait to use it.

 **aaaand cliff-hanger. sorry this one took so long guys, i had a little trouble with my computer a few days ago, and this is the longest chapter by far too. shoutout to DhuryamDhuryam (did i spell that correctly?) for the idea of the dark Celestials, and shoutout to CTCH for giving me the idea of 'champions' in school.**

 **as always guys, enjoy the story, and stay awesome**

 **Peace, Darkrai the Slayer**


	6. Chapter 5: Surprises

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **All content is strictly non-canon**

Chapter 5: Surprises

*aboard the _Amidala_ *

Itoryo was brought to the medbay of the massive ship. As she was escorted through the immaculate hallways by a group of clones, the raven-haired Saber couldn't help but be awed at the craftsmanship. The sheer size of the ship itself was a thing to behold, and Itoryo was amazed at how efficiently the clones worked to maintain the ships.

Once Itoryo had her wound treated, she was escorted, in shock cuffs, to a holding cell in the belly of the ship. There, she was locked in, and the clones left, except for two ARC troopers armed with custom-made stun blasters, amped up on super-high levels of power.

Itoryo wondered what was going to happen to her, but the fact that they had treated her wound and not tortured her in any way already reassured her.

After a while, a tall man in flowing brown robes appeared outside her cell, flanked by two other people in similar robes. Itoryo recognised one as the Jedi Knight who had captured her.

The tall man, whom she assumed was a Jedi Master from the way he carried himself and the way the two other Jedi deferred to him, looked her over carefully, before speaking in a measured tone.

"Madam Sith, how shall we address you?"

Itoryo was pleasantly surprised by his politeness. Then again, this had a day of surprises, some quite nice, others, not so.

After she had furbished them with her name, the bearded Jedi Master informed her that she would be returning with them to Coruscant. "We have taken all the damaged fighters from all three frigates, and we will be bringing them to Coruscant as our largest fighter repair facility is there, and we do not have the supplies necessary to carry out repairs. While we are there, Jedi Knights Hybergo and Ashkander will escort you to the Jedi Temple for a debriefing." At this the two Jedi standing next to the Jedi Master nodded their heads.

Itoryo knew she should feel afraid, going into the belly of the beast that was her natural enemy, yet she felt a strange sense of expectation and exhilaration. She agreed to this arrangement, not that she had any choice in the matter, but manners were important, and after all, the Jedi had been kind to her. The least she could do was acknowledge what they had said.

After the Jedi had left, Itoryo settled down on the small, hard bunk in the cell. Better make herself comfy for the long journey ahead, she thought to herself.

*Maw Cluster, unidentified planet*

On a small, densely forested planet surrounded by gargantuan black holes, a lone figure in grey robes knelt in meditation. An abandoned Sith corvette sat near him, with moss already growing on its smooth surface.

The Grey Knight kept a constant vigil, both for the Sith should they return, and also the return of something more sinister. He was about to find out the latter was about to pay him a visit.

*Jedi Temple, Coruscant*

Itoryo once again found herself in a holding cell, but it was larger and more aired out than the durasteel box on the ship. She had been escorted to the Jedi Temple in a shuttle, accompanied by the two Jedi Knights. Now she knew not what she awaited, but she waited with a mix of expectation and trepidation.

Loriole and Teimos walked through the pristine corridors of the Jedi Temple, headed towards the office of Jedi Master Eot Cy, a former Lost Tribe Sith, so that they could bring him to debrief the captive Itoryo. Arriving at his door, they knocked gently. Once Master Cy had opened the door, they explained the situation, and he agreed to give the debrief.

Itoryo had spent maybe 10 minutes waiting in the small cell when the female Jedi, the one named Loriole, came to fetch her. She was brought to a small conference room, where the other Jedi and another person were waiting. When the other person turned around to face her, Itoryo gasped in shock. It was none other than her former Master from back on Kesh, Eot Cy. He had gone missing and was presumed dead after a failed attack on a Jedi forward staging outpost.

Itoryo tackled the tall older man with a flying hug as he chuckled, "Well well, Saber Kanghar, what a surprise to see that you would be captured!"

Loriole was surprised that the two knew each other. Smiling a bit, she left them to their teary reunion, trusting that Master Cy would know what to do.

Itoryo freed herself from Eot's bear hug, noticing that he now wore the same brown robes as the Jedi Master from the ship. "Master Cy, they made you a Jedi Master?" She inquired.

Eot nodded gently. "The light side of the Force is so refreshing. All that darkness is so… suffocating."

Itoryo did not understand. The dark side had been her entire life to her, nothing else mattered, and yet here was her former Master talking about how the light side was better. Perhaps she had already died and this was a vision. But no, the Force told her this was as real as real could get.

The kindly Jedi Master looked down at his former protégé with a gentle smile. He could sense her confusion like a thermal detonator had gone off in a crowd of people. Chuckling softly, he held her by the shoulders and steered her out of the room. "Come, young one. Let us initiate you into the way of the Jedi."

*Maw Cluster, unknown planet*

Dark tendrils snaked out of the ground, solidifying into tentacles. The Grey Knight looked up from his meditation. She had returned.

The Grey Knight rose to his feet, igniting both lightsabers. Leaping forward, he slashed at the tentacles, but as fast as he could sever them, more grew out, until eventually, they surrounded him.

The tentacles wrapped around his limbs, constricting them and forcing him to drop his lightsabers. The tentacles raised him into the air, spread-eagled. A dark mass of Force energy gathered before him, seething with rage and hunger.

Abeloth.

Still too weak to take a physical form, Abeloth's Force essence boiled with anger. Her disembodied voice echoed from all around the Grey Knight.

"So, my first meal is to be one of the Father's attack dogs eh? Very well, I shall make this a meal to remember!"

Tentacles shot forth, embedding themselves in the Grey Knight's chest. The Grey Knight grimaced as his very Force essence was drawn out to feed Abeloth's insatiable hunger.

More and more tentacles shot forth, stabbing into his torso, stealing his energy.

The Grey Knight could feel his life draining away, but still he waited. He waited until tentacles had even impaled themselves in his back, until Abeloth had fully committed to stealing his life force. Then, drawing on his last reserves of strength, the Grey Knight called on the Force. And he exploded.

Abeloth realised too late what was happening, and her disembodied voice screamed in horror. The blue orb of Force energy rapidly expanded outwards, burning through Abeloth's tentacles like paper, disintegrating her Force essence. Abeloth herself rapidly dissolved, even as the Force explosion obliterated the plantlife nearby. The shockwave was so great even the abandoned Lost Tribe corvette was knocked onto its side.

When it was all over, the Grey Knight was on his knees in a meter-deep crater, blackened with soot. Wounds covered his entire body, and they leaked not blood, but glimmering Force energy. The Grey Knight's head was bowed. He knew it was his time. He had done his part, and had thwarted Abeloth's return for now. His time was up.

He raised his head to the sky above and stretched his arms outwards. Silently, he dissolved, clothes and all, into Force energy, and the vapor dissipated into the sky.

*Jedi Temple, Coruscant, 3 months after the Battle for Fresia*

The mess hall was filled with noise. Jedi shuffled along the long queue, and more still were noisily talking with one another. Amid this hubbub, a group of three friends sat down together. Two tall and slender females and one large hulking male.

Itoryo sat next to Loriole, across from Teimos. Dressed in the loose-fitting robes of a Jedi Knight, her raven hair braided in a traditional Keshiri style and with her lightsaber swinging from her belt, she had never felt more at home among her former enemies.

Itoryo had grown close to the pair. Loriole and Teimos had volunteered to help train her, and with their help, Itoryo had reverted to the light side. Under their tutelage, her Force abilities had improved at an exponential rate, reaching heights she had never thought possible. Her lightsaber techniques had also seen great progress. And speaking of lightsabers, Loriole had helped her purge her red lightsaber crystal of the dark side energies that had impregnated it. Her vibrant green blade added to the colourful relationship the three shared.

As it was, Itoryo also turned out to be a wonderful pilot. Back on Kesh, she had been forbidden from ever flying a starfighter, destined to be a ground-based fighter. But here on Coruscant, the Jedi were constantly pushing her to discover her strengths and hidden talents, and they would also help her improve those strengths. Itoryo was now able to handle an X-wing as easily as she did her lightsaber.

At first, she had worried about fitting in, finding friends. As it turned out, she had no problem making friends. Loriole had generously introduced Itoryo to her own circle of friends, as had Teimos. Some of their friends were reformed Sith too, some even from Kesh, like her. The former Sith had no trouble at all getting along with the other Jedi, and she loved catching up with the other former Sith from Kesh, and sharing stories about their latest missions.

Itoryo looked around the crowded mess hall. This was her home now. This was where she belonged. And she would give anything to defend it.

*Wild Space *

In the Wild Space, far from any known civilization, a small X-wing fighter dropped out of hyperspace. The small craft, designated T85-SR Stealth-X III, was the latest in a line of Stealth-Xs. The SR in its name stood for "Stealth and Recon", and the third generation Stealth-X took it a step further.

The traditional wingtip-mounted cannons had been moved to the body of the craft itself. The total wingspan had also been reduced to minimize its radar silhouette. The leading edge of the wings had been extended almost to the nose, and the wing curved gently from the body to the wingtip, giving the craft a delta-like shape. Even the astromech droid had a special recess, and no longer stuck out from the craft. This Stealth-X also had a virtual barrage of sensor equipment mounted, and it had longer range than just about any other craft of its size and class.

This particular Stealth-X was flown by CT(IR)-003. The IR stood for Intelligence and Reconnaissance. This breed of clones were specifically bred for recon missions, with a greatly increased memory capacity and greater ability to notice the smallest of details. CT(IR)-003 was one of several on a secret mission authorized by none other than the Grand Master of the Jedi Order himself.

CT(IR)-003 swung his craft around. Filling his cockpit viewport was a large planet, one that had remained undiscovered by the Jedi for millennia. The clone spoke quietly into his helmet mike, sending a message to the mother frigate, based just a few light years away, only a few short words.

"We found it."

 **A/N hey guys, this chapter is a little short, but its a filler, i had to get this out of the way as quickly as possible, I have a lot of stuff happening this coming week, and I won't have any time to write then, I've got The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN) coming up, and after that I'm probably going to China to visit my grandparents, so I won't be able to write. I hope that this short chappie can tide you guys over until I upload another one**

 **as always guys, enjoy the story, and do feel free to leave reviews commenting on my writing and of course, stay awesome**

 **peace, Darkrai das Slayer**


	7. Chapter 6: Pirates

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **All content is strictly non-canon**

Chapter 6: Pirates

Darth Kolbre stood on the balcony of the shrine. The leader of the One Sith looked out over the barren wasteland that was Korriban. The tall man called up a hologram from his datapad. It showed a large fleet of strange-looking craft, with an army of much smaller spacecraft darting to and fro. It was his secret fleet. The reason the One Sith had been mostly inactive the past few years was because they were pooling their resources to build said fleet. It suited the Jedi just fine while they had their hands full with the Lost Tribe.

Kolbre knew the fleet was nearing completion. A few more weeks and the last set of ships would be finished. Then the One Sith would wait for the perfect opportunity to strike, preferably when the Jedi and the Lost Tribe had locked horns, then they would deploy their fleet, consisting of large frigates and cruisers, each containing several Annihilator-II class fighters, and wipe both the Jedi and the Lost Tribe from the galaxy, and that would be that.

Darth Kolbre turned from the balcony and went back to his room. No need to worry about this for now. Time was the one thing they had on their side.

* * *

*aboard _Amidala_ , in orbit over Coruscant*

On the other side of the galaxy, a small shuttle was just depositing three young Jedi Knights in the hangar of a large frigate. Wordlessly, the trio made their way to their own quarters, which happened to be just next to each other, before going up to the bridge. The Grey Knight had already left to deal with his own "business".

Jedi Master Pong Fel was already waiting for them. Turning at the sound of the turbolift, he smiled warmly and greeted the three young Jedi.

"Jedi Hybergo and Ashkander, welcome back. Jedi Kanghar, welcome to the _Amidala_ , this time not as a prisoner, but as a Jedi." Fel said.

Itoryo was amazed by the ship. The previous time she had only had a brief glimpse at the frigate's insides, but now she was standing at the bridge, and the nearby planet of Coruscant, glowing brightly with all its lights, filled the front viewport, surrounded by hordes of miniscule ships darting back and forth.

The bridge itself was also a thing to behold. The young woman was bedazzled by all the shining control boards and the massive tactical display.

Master Fel chuckled at the new Jedi's wonder. Calling the dynamic trio to attention, he explained their mission to them. "We are being assigned to the Perlemia system, a major stop in the Perlemian trade route. The frequency of pirate raids have increased, and this has put a heavy toll on the defense fighters stationed there. Seeing as the Lost Tribe has recently suffered a major defeat, and the One Sith have been strangely inactive, the Grand Master has assigned us there to escort the freighters passing through the Perlemia system. This is but a routine mission until the Sith decide to attack or the Jedi come up with a target for us to attack."

Teimos grunted. "Well, it's better than sitting around in the Jedi Temple rearranging the records."

Loriole and Itoryo both found it hard to disagree with the hulking Jedi, even though the latter had only done the library job twice.

Fel nodded, satisfied that the Jedi Knights were agreed on this matter. Sending them back to their quarters, he instructed the 3 pilots to commence the exit from orbit around Coruscant and prepare for the jump.

* * *

*in hyperspace, unknown position*

Far from any trade routes, a little starfighter blasted through hyperspace. At first glance, one might mistake it for a top-secret prototype model not seen before, since it was a small wedge-shaped craft with an odd-looking ring of thrusters surrounding it. But upon closer inspection, one would realise it was nothing more than a typical Jedi fighter equipped with a hyperspace ring, enabling the small craft to make jumps across the galaxy.

But this was no ordinary Jedi fighter. This Jedi fighter was painted gold, and had the symbol of the Jedi Order splayed all over its sides and was labelled "01". This starfighter belonged to the Grand Master of the Jedi Order himself, Jagnord Skywalker.

The Jedi narrowed his eyes as he approached his destination, the end of his jump. The grey-haired man had been cramped in the tiny compartment for hours on end, despite travelling at the speed of light, so remote the destination was.

At long last, the starfighter dropped out of hyperspace with a light bump. Jagnord was presented with the view of the densely forested jungle planet Dagobah. His steel-grey eyes filled with determination and resolve, he disengaged his fighter from the hyperspace ring and swung it towards the far side of the planet.

* * *

*Perlemian system*

Itoryo loved the speed and handling of the X-wing, but the Jedi fighter she was in now absolutely thrilled her. It was just so nimble, and Gold Squadron's top-notch X-wings could barely keep up as she barrel rolled and did flips. The veteran clone pilots were aware that this was Itoryo's first time in a Jedi fighter, and recalling the excitement of stepping into an X-wing for the first time, they indulged her stunts with wistful smiles on their faces.

Eventually, Itoryo calmed down, and they were able to commence their escort mission. Most freighters dropped out of hyperspace a short distance away from the system's core planet. Some would head directly to the planet, both for refuelling and resupplying as well as for the crew to take a much needed break in one of the many cantinas on the surface.

For the first few days, the escort missions were uneventful, and although they were boring, Itoryo knew it was probably for the best. As she took her turn to patrol the area with Gold Squadron's X-wings, she could feel a strange sense of unease, but it was not her own.

Activating her comm, she asked CT-4208 a question. "What's the matter Weedy? Why are you so worried?"

The veteran clone in question seemed unruffled by the question. After all, he had been working with Jedi for a long time, and was used to them sensing his feelings. "I'm just worried about that large nebula over there, ma'am." Weedy turned his head to look out his cockpit at the large yellow cloud of particles floating nearby. The clone explained through his comm. "A while back, when I was still a shiny, we were doing escort runs in this system that had a big nebula. It was all going fine until our mother frigate picked up some anomalous signals from _inside_ the nebula. Nebulae tend to mess up your sensor signals, so we thought it was just a glitch. That was when a massive swarm of pirate ships came out of from inside the nebula. I lost a couple of brothers, and we fought long and hard until we chased the pirates away. Fifty-eight clone pilots were killed in the skirmish."

Itoryo was silent. She looked at the nebula with a newfound sense of worry. Several other veteran clone pilots' voices came in over the comm, sharing their own encounters with nebulae and pirates.

Itoryo spared another glance towards the large cloud of yellow particles. She could only hope that such an ambush would not happen, even as she turned her Jedi fighter to escort a YT-2300 Corellian freighter that had just dropped out of hyperspace.

* * *

*a few days later*

Loriole stepped out of her Jedi fighter, jumping down lightly onto the durasteel floor of the _Amidala_ 's hangar. Shaking her sweat-matted hair free of her helmet, she pulled at the zipper of the form-fitting jumpsuit, loosening it at the neck and allowing herself to breathe.

Loriole watched as Teimos led Uber Squadron's X-wings and Y-wings out for their shift. She couldn't help noticing that quite a few clone pilots from Red Squadron, who were dismounting from their crafts, were eyeing her greedily. She sighed. Boys would be boys.

Loriole headed to the refresher to get changed into something more comfortable before going to the bridge for her debrief.

Loriole stepped onto the bridge of the _Amidala_. Itoryo and Master Fel were already waiting for her, the former leaning back in her chair with her boots propped up on the table, and the latter standing erect in front of the tactical display, going over the latest sensor readings from the nebula.

Itoryo leapt to her feet as soon as Loriole entered, and they hugged each other tightly. It had become a ritual as of late, and in the back of her mind Loriole reflected that sometimes girls could be weird too.

Loriole detached herself from the hug and went over to Master Fel. He smiled at her as she approached. "Great piloting out there, Jedi Hybergo."

The bearded Jedi Master was intently studying a close up of the nebula on the tactical display with an overlay of a series of red dots. "We started picking up some strange signals inside the nebula. This is the scan from 20 minutes ago. The neweset scan should be in soon." Fel made fists with both his hands and rotated the three-dimensional holographic cloud.

Something about the image on the tactical display bothered Loriole for some reason. Then it hit her. The nebula was quite far away, and there was no way even the _Amidala_ 's top-of-the-range sensors could produce such a detailed image of all sides of the nebula, let alone its interior.

Turning to question Master Fel, he answered her before she could even ask her question. "While we were on Coruscant, we received a bit of an equipment upgrade. This ship is now carrying an experimental sensor prototype that utilizes midichlorians and their Force abilities to produce high-resolution images of long-distance subjects, but it's just a prototype so it needs a cooldown period between scans. Our scientists managed to extract living midichlorians and preserve them a few years back, so it was just a matter of calibrating some new sensor technology to be more sensitive to the Force."

Loriole was awed, as was Itoryo. Loriole could understand why this was kept under wraps for so long, this kind of technology, once proven in the field, improved, and mass produced, could win them the war.

Before she could ask Master Fel for more details, a nearby clone sitting at a console waved to the Jedi Master. "General, the latest scans are in. Refreshing the hologram overlay now."

The display changed to show an even larger multitude of red dots congregated in the nebula. Fel rotated the hologram to show the other side of the nebula. Near the far side, several triangles were shown approaching. Itoryo asked Fel, "What are those triangles?"

Fel replied, "The triangles represent signals that the sensor has recognized as ships. The red dots are only due to the fact the nebula messes up the sensor signals."

Fel gestured to a nearby clone. "Bring up real-time radar scans." The clone nodded and typed into his console. The 3D hologram changed into a 2D image on the screen, much closer up than before, and this time, the red dots could be seen to be moving frantically inside the nebula. Occasionally one of the red dots would transform into a triangle briefly and back to a red dot.

Master Fel frowned at the display. Turning to Loriole and Itoryo, he said to them, "I'm sorry girls, you'll have to suit up again and standby to launch at a moment's notice. One squadron of fighters simply isn't enough, and the pirate ships are too scattered for our turbolasers to be effective."

Loriole and Itoryo nodded, although inwardly Loriole sighed at having to get back into that stuffy and tight jumpsuit and the equally stuffy cockpit so soon. After they had left, a senior clone commander walked up to Master Fel. This clone had served alongside Fel for many years, and despite the clone being of a much lower rank, the two were close friends, almost like family. Master Fel sensed his approach, and turned to greet him with a warm smile. "What is the matter Hardy?"

CT-7349, or Hardy, acknowledged the greeting with a nod. Tapping a holographic keyboard at the side of the tactical display, the nebula vanished and was replaced by a schematic of a large, circular device. Turning to Fel, he asked a simple question. "Will we have to use this? It could be necessary." Fel contemplated the circular device, before nodding, and replying, "Have it prepped and ready to fire. Standby to activate it on my command."

Hardy saluted sharply, and retreated to his post to send the orders. Fel turned to face the nebula once again, reflecting that the prototype sensors were not the only equipment upgrades the _Amidala_ had received during its 3-month stop on Coruscant.

* * *

*aboard _Pillager_ , pirate ship*

Jahvel Fett sat in the command seat of the _Pillager_ , his father's ship, looking out the front viewport, even though there was nothing to see besides a cloud of yellow cosmic dust. He turned to face the screen next to him, a screen that showed a live video feed from a surveillance drone that Jahvel had sent to the outskirts of the nebula to act as his eyes, especially since the _Pillager_ 's sensors were dead thanks to the nebula.

In front of Jahvel, gathered around the tactical display, were his lieutenants, the people responsible for ensuring the smooth day-to-day running of his pirate and smuggling enterprise. Each one of them owned a ship, and they each had several ships working under them, staffed by their own crew. Jahvel didn't really care how they got the ships or what they did in their free time, as long as they remained loyal to him and gave him a share of the spoils, usually from ships that he had ordered them to attack.

Right now, one of Jahvel's lieutenants, Rang Thye, was debating with the others whether or not they should wait any longer to attack the Jedi frigate stationed just near the Perlemian system core planet. Rang Thye had been the one who had noticed the Jedi frigate's presence and had hastily called off the planned raid and called for a meeting.

"They have fighters patrolling the area, and no doubt they have many more inside the ship! If we wait any longer they could attack us and wipe us out! The only advantage we have is the element of surprise!" Rang shouted.

A grizzled old pirate standing opposite Rang shook his head and rubbed his temples with the base of his hand. Kurtum Jhu was one of Jahvel's favourites, known for his levelheadedness and ability to stay calm in the face of the fiercest turbolaser barrage. Right now his famous patience was being tested. He growled at Rang, "What's to say they don't already know we're here. For all we know, they could be planning a counterattack and shred us with their turbolasers the minute we come out of the nebula. I say we have two options, run and live to pirate another day, or fight and most likely be wiped out."

Several of the older pirates, veterans who had tangled with the Jedi before and barely made it out, murmured assent to Kurtum's comments. Rang, however would not be put off so easily. Young and hotheaded, he regarded the Perlemian system as his territory, and would not tolerate the Jedi's presence here anymore. Ignoring the older pirates' advice to leave the Perlemian system alone for the time being and target another trade route, he felt that it was up to him to defend the "sovereignty" of "his" system, even though Perlemia was technically allied to the Jedi Republic.

Jahvel closed his eyes, a nanometre away from losing it. Rang was seriously getting on his nerves. This meeting should not even have been called. Jahvel knew that it was protocol that if they came up against a force they knew they had no chance of overcoming, they were to retreat and report directly to him. This was a rule that Jahvel's father had set from the start, a rule that was constantly reiterated to anyone who just joined the Fett pirate band.

Raising his hand for silence, Jahvel decided that enough was enough. Rang's insubordination was too much. Jahvel opened his mouth to speak. "Rang Thye, you may take your crew and engage the Jedi frigate. I will lend you a squadron of droid fighters to aid in your fight. No one else is to intervene in this battle. If he wishes to defend what he regards as his own system, let him be." Rang's eyes visibly lit up at what he thought was the big boss siding with him, although he deflated slightly when he realised there would be no backup, and he shrunk even more upon the realisation that this was a suicide mission. Starting to regret having so vehemently insisting on attacking the Jedi frigate, he started to speak, but was silenced by Jahvel.

"You will begin the assault tomorrow at 0700 hours standard time. Everyone else is to vacate the area by then. The droid fighters should arrive sometime before the attack begins, and even if they do not, you MUST commence." Jahvel said to Rang, before dismissing him to return to his own ship.

Waiting until Rang was safely out of earshot, Kurtum turned to Jahvel. "Is it really wise to let him do this?"

Jahvel buried his head in his hands. "Of course not. But that idiot was pissing me off. The droid fighters will never arrive, and he will be left to fend for himself. We move out in two hours."

Jahvel motioned to the droid pilot, one of hundreds of thousands of Clone War-era droids he had liberated from an ancient Geonosian shipyard, and the _Pillager_ deftly manoeuvred through the nebula, swinging back towards the other ships.

* * *

*aboard _Amidala_ *

Itoryo walked onto the bridge, rubbing her eyes from the sudden waking from her sleep. Loriole and Teimos were already there, looking equally dishevelled. Loriole had a bad case of bed hair, and her robes were crooked and crumpled. Teimos' chin was covered in rough stubble, and his eyes were bloodshot.

It did not comfort Itoryo that Master Fel also had not had a good night's sleep. Right now the three sleep-deprived Jedi were gathered around the tactical display, so the young woman made her way over.

The first thing Itoryo noticed was that the number of red dots inside the nebula had been significantly reduced. The next thing as that the few red dots that remained seemed to be organizing themselves into an attack formation.

Itoryo turned to question Master Fel, but he silenced her unasked query with a raised hand. It was clear that something they did not yet understand was at hand, but what was clear enough was that a majority of the pirates had left, and whatever or whoever remained was going to attack.

Wordlessly, the three Jedi Knights made their way back to their quarters to get changed into their flight suits.

* * *

*near Korriban*

A desert planet hung in space. Seemingly desolate and devoid of life, it had many secrets. One of which was currently exiting orbit. Darth Kolbre watched as his One Fleet launched from the underground hangars the fleet had been constructed in. His disciples would be in charge of the frigates, and he would personally command the largest one, the flagship. Little did he know, he was not the only one watching the fleet that day.

Near one of Korriban's seven moons, a small sphere slipped out of hyperspace with barely a whisper. Inside, a figure dressed in armoured grey robes narrowed his black eyes behind a reflective silver visor at the image he saw through the front viewport of his meditation sphere.

* * *

*aboard _Amidala_ *

The battle had been short. The pirate ships were completely outmatched and outclassed by the newer X-wings and Y-wings. Next to the high-tech next-gen fighters, the pirate skiffs seemed comparatively ancient.

Itoryo hopped out of her Jedi fighter, docked next to Loriole's. The X-wings and Y-wings were just returning to the hangar. Some had been damaged in the skirmish, although not too seriously. One such damaged fighter was entering the hangar now, sparks spewing from a damaged ion drive. The pilot deftly manoeuvred the craft, angling the flaming exhaust away from the other ships.

After getting changed, Loriole and Itoryo made their way up to the bridge once again, all the while gossiping about that one Jedi knight that most of the female Padawans back on Coruscant were clamouring over.

Laughing at the antics of teenaged girls, the two ladies stepped onto the bridge. Teimos was already there and had received his debrief.

Master Fel smiled at the two women and congratulated them on a battle well fought. Then he moved on to more serious matters, his smile melting away like butter. "We have a new mission. The Grand Master has ordered us to report to the Graveyard of Alderaan. He wishes to unveil a new weapon there and wants us to join him."

The three young Jedi looked at each other gravely. A new weapon to be unveiled at the Graveyard of Alderaan? The implications of this were too fearsome to be voiced, and the terror at what this weapon might be was all too evident in their Force auras. Master Fel could feel their fear, and for once, he too wondered if this could spell the end for them all.

 **A/N hey all, finally managed to get this chapter up, the past week was seriously more busy for me than I ever expected. you might be disappointed that there wasn't much action here but I really didn't want to make this chapter any more draggy.**

 **as always, feel free to leave a review commenting on my writing etc. and don't forget to enjoy the story!**

 **stay awesome guys**

 **peace, Darkrai the Slayer**


	8. Chapter 7: Attack of the One Fleet

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **Al content is strictly non-canon**

Chapter 7: Attack of the One Fleet

*Graveyard of Alderaan*

The _Amidala_ dropped out of hyperspace smoothly, against the infinitely black backdrop of space. A field of misshapen asteroids and chunks of rock floated about in front of the _Destructor_ -class frigate.

On the bridge, Master Fel checked his chrono. "We're early." He declared. Pressing a button on a control board, four foldable seats popped up from the floor, and the bearded man sat down, as did the other three young Jedi on the bridge. Loriole grabbed a 'pad and pulled up the latest episode from a reality show about a family of Twi'leks and started watching it. Teimos just dozed off, snoring loudly, while Itoryo decided to finish up her readings of Alderaan's history and how it met its demise. Itoryo loved to learn about new things, but Kesh's isolation meant there was little known about the outer galaxy but what had been passed down in legend. The Jedi Temple records had so much information Itoryo was almost drunk with delight after her first day.

Master Fel chose not to do anything unlike the three young ones, instead deciding to meditate and call on the Force for guidance. Turning his gaze to the field of rocks, he could feel a slight tingle of his skin, the hair on his arms standing on end. Fel, of course, being descended from Jaina Solo Fel, who in turn was the daughter of Leia Organa Solo, had Alderaanian blood coursing through his veins. The shock of the tragedy that had occurred here still reverberated in the Force, especially for those of Alderaanian descent, even 800 years on.

As the hours ticked by, other frigates dropped out of hyperspace, likely on orders from Grand Master Skywalker too. Civilian freighters were also making appearances. Clearly they had heard about this "new weapon" through the holonews network. It was the hot topic of the day, maybe even the decade. The chatter over this topic was going off the charts.

The _Starkiller_ and the _Jaina_ were also there, and a quick holo conference with Masters Hudrya and Ulku confirmed Master Fel's fears. The other Jedi Masters had been kept in the dark over this as well, and their suspicions as to what it might be matched his.

The enigmatic trio were picking up on his uneasiness. Teimos grunted and shifted in his sleep, Loriole kept switching the channel, not sure of what to watch. Itoryo furrowed her brow unconsciously, and she kept misreading words and had to go back.

All of this did not go unnoticed by Fel. He mentally reminded himself to calm down, as his Force powers were somewhat amplified, being this close to the origin of his bloodline, a site of such mass death.

Presently, Loriole yawned and stretched, massaging her sore neck. Looking out through the front viewport at the increasingly cluttered area before the Graveyard, she suddenly noticed a distant speck that had not been there before.

Squinting, she asked no-one in particular, "Is that a… moon?" It size and spherical shape certainly suggested that it was.

Everyone looked up now. One of the clones sitting at a radar console answered the question that was hanging in the air. "That's no moon. It's a space station, and it has… Jedi signals?"

Loriole turned to ask Master Fel, but her question died in her throat as she saw his face, twisted in absolute fear and horror. Then she felt it in the Force. The wave of pure terror hit her like a sledgehammer. Her knees buckled. Teimos was jolted awake and he fell off his chair. Itoryo dropped her 'pad and pressed her hands to her temples, face scrunched up.

Concentrating just enough to block out the fear and think straight, Loriole struggled to recall the history of Alderaan, but Itoryo got there first. The raven haired woman pointed at the rapidly closing speck and whispered, "It's a Death Star. The Grand Master built a Death Star. The same weapon that destroyed Alderaan in the first place."

Looking again at Master Fel, Loriole now understood why he was so afraid. The bearded Jedi was of Alderaanian descent himself. Loriole felt a prickle of surprise in the Force, which rapidly turned into a fresh wave of fear. The other ships.

A hologram fizzed into existence. A transmission from the incoming space station. It was Grand Master Skywalker. "Calling all Jedi Order ships, please approach the space station and dock within. I will be making a public broadcast soon."

The _Amidala_ started powering towards the space station, now a large sphere hovering just beyond the Graveyard.

As the _Amidala_ drew near, Itoryo saw a large collection of ships, consisting of frigates, destroyers, battle cruisers, and corvettes. The entirety of the Jedi Fleet. The sight of these majestic ships filled her with awe, even though the mood was ruined by the thick sense of fear that permeated the Force. She also noticed a small grey sphere flying past. She shook her head and dismissed it as a hallucination.

The _Amidala_ was directed to Hangar 1A. Up close, the space station had a large trench running all the way around, which gave access to the hangars and thus the rest of the space station. Turbolaser batteries and artillery emplacements dotted its surface. As the _Amidala_ cruised through the narrow trench, Loriole was reminded of the old holos of the Battle of Yavin, where the Rebels had to perform trench runs in order to destroy the original Death Star. Right now, so huge the space station was, the _Amidala_ , one of the largest frigates in service, it seemed like it was an X-wing making a trench run. The space station dwarfed the Amidala, and Loriole felt positively tiny.

The _Amidala_ arrived at Hangar 1A. As the ship pivoted to enter the hangar, the Jedi and clones on the bridge were greeted with an equally amazing sight. A massive frigate, almost three times as large as the _Amidala_ , was docked in a hangar so large it could easily have held 5 more such frigates with space to spare. The frigate itself was gargantuan, and resembled the frigates currently in service, but the largest noticeable difference was the massively increased armament, and a large split near the bow, leaving a gap that created an opening for a large, circular weapon. Master Fel noticed that it resembled the secret prototype weapon that had been installed on the _Amidala_ only recently.

*5 minutes later*

Master Fel stormed out of the turbolift into the main observation room. Grand Master Skywalker was already waiting.

Master Fel's rage was palpable in the Force. Even some of the Senior Jedi Masters trembled when he burst into the room. Grand Master Skywalker wore an expression of deep sorrow, but there was a certain determination in his eyes.

Master Fel walked up to Skywalker, but stopped long enough to compose himself. Despite his rage, when he spoke, his voice was steady, not betraying his true emotions.

"Grand Master, what is the meaning of this?"

Jagnord bowed his head. "I deeply regret having made this, and I owe the entire Jedi Order an apology for having kept this a secret. But I sincerely believe this is our last hope for peace in the galaxy, the last chance to end this conflict once and for all."

Fel's rage was on the verge of boiling over, but he maintained his composure, even as his voice cracked with emotion.

"Peace? By destroying our enemies utterly? You call that peace? Alderaan was completely destroyed by the original Death Star, the one built by the Empire. You want the Jedi Order to have that kind of legacy?"

The bearded Jagnord suddenly looked 10 years older. "This may be a weapon of mass destruction, but I do not intend to use it as such. I hope you understand."

Understanding dawned on Fel's face. "You intend to use it as a deterrent."

The Grand Master nodded. "We have located the Lost Tribe homeworld of Kesh. We will go there first. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a public address to make."

*one hour later*

Itoryo watched as Jagnord delivered the end of his rousing speech. She didn't know what to feel about the Jedi moving against her homeworld of Kesh. She was a Jedi now, but she did have family back there, a family that was probably being persecuted for her betrayal. Them again, she held out hope that news of her capture was all that was known about her, and her family was most likely grieving.

Suddenly, Itoryo noticed a strange presence lurking in the shadows. She tapped Loriole's shoulder. The brown-haired woman nodded in confirmation. "I feel it too, Itoryo. No need to worry. I'm sure it will reveal itself later."

Loriole's remembered that Itoryo had not had met the Grey Knights before. Loriole herself was slightly perplexed. The presence she felt was undoubtedly that of a Grey Knight, yet it felt different, unlike the one she knew.

Jagnord finished his speech to raucous applause from the holographic audience, and left the podium as the holograms of the reporters and news moguls fizzed out, leaving the media and politicians to debate the repercussions of this new development.

Jagnord looked pleased with himself, despite his obvious weariness. Returning to the observation room, he looked pointedly towards a shadowy corner of the room, and sighed tiredly. "You may come out now, Grey Knight."

The figure stepped into the light. The figure was, unsurprisingly, dressed in the usual grey armored robes, face obscured by the silver visor, and the trademark black and white lightsaber hilts hung at the Grey Knight's belt. The one major difference, was the most obvious. The chest section of the armor bulged slightly, and this Grey Knight was leaner, more slender. When the Grey Knight spoke, the voice was undoubtedly feminine.

"Greetings, Grand Master. My brother sends his regards. He has news for you. The One Sith have launched a large fleet, and they plan to attack you. My brother is currently tailing their fleet, tracking their movements."

Jagnord did not seem perturbed by this. Nodding,he gestured for the Grey Knight to continue, for he sensed she had more.

The Grey Knight obliged him. "The other piece of news may be more disturbing. One of my brothers was stationed inside the Maw in the event that Abeloth should return. And she did, much sooner than anticipated, and my brother sacrificed himself to delay her full return."

Jagnord frowned at this. He started to speak, but the Grey Knight silenced him with a wave and continued speaking.

"Do not mourn for him, he is with the Father now, one with the Force. What is more important is that Abeloth's return has been delayed, giving us slightly more time. That is what counts."

Jagnord thanked the Grey Knight and dismissed her. Turning to face the assembled Jedi, he addressed them. "We have a few hours before we jump into hyperspace, and even then the journey will take several hours. I suggest you use this time wisely, and familiarize yourselves with this space station."

The Jedi dispersed. Loriole led her two friends to a nearby console, currently unmanned, and decided to read up on the specifications of the battle station.

The DS-004C was one of the largest space stations in service, dwarfing even the Golan VII stations that defended Kamino, measuring 200 kilometers in diameter. Its hyperlaser, a weapon capable of completely obliterating a planet twice the size of Coruscant, could fire a planet-destroying laser 5 times a day, and a capital ship-destroying laser once every 10 minutes. Powered by 500 of the best ion drives in the galaxy, the DS-004C, christened the _Peacemaker_ , chugged along at a sublight speed just slower than that of a large frigate. The Peacemaker was capable of hyperspace travel as well, with 300 separate hyperdrive generators linked to a single navicomp.

Loriole recalled the large frigate in Hangar 1A, and decided to look it up while she was at it. It was a _Destructor-II_ class frigate, named the _Empirical_. It was one of 3 currently in service, the others being the _Intrepid_ and the _Tahiri_. The _Destructor-II_ class frigates measured well over 2 kilometers in length, and were outfitted with the latest in turbolaser technology, and also possessed an new weapon, a high-powered EMP capable of disabling ships twice their size, which wasn't really a problem since the new frigates were pretty much the largest ships in service anywhere in the galaxy. They were also equipped with a new and improved version of the prototype midichlorian sensors that had been installed on the _Amidala_.

Loriole's looked up from the holographic display as the Peacemaker shuddered slightly. The sublight drives had fired up, and were powering the large battle station away from the Graveyard, so it could commence its hyperspace jump to the remote Lost Tribe homeworld.

*Wild Space, unknown location*

Darth Kolbre sat in his command chair aboard the flagship Krayt-class cruiser of the One Fleet, the _Palpatine_. One of the newly developed battle droids manning the communications console turned around to talk to Kolbre.

"Lord Kolbre, the Jedi have unveiled a new super-weapon, and they plan to move against the Lost Tribe."

The clean-shaven Sith Lord frowned at this. In all the time he had spent meditating, he had had no idea that the Jedi were building a super-weapon. The droid transferred the news report to the screen mounted on the command chair. Kolbre watched it, his brow furrowing. So the Jedi had built a Death Star. He was not pleased that his thunder was being stolen. The Death Star would be a problem. No doubt the Jedi had learnt from their predecessors's experiences with Death Stars and taken pains to fortify it. He watched as the large space station disappeared into hyperspace on the tiny screen.

He turned to the droid. "You said they were heading to Kesh."

The droid nodded confirmation. Kolbre sat back into his chair, thinking. To assault the Death Star would be suicide, even with the One Fleet's superior Annihilator-II class fighters. Then again, the Jedi would most likely be preoccupied with the Lost Tribe. Kolbre chewed his lip, calculating the best plan of attack. His ships had advanced stealth and cloaking devices, so he was fairly confident that he could conceal his fleet from the Jedi. Another thing, his ships were closer to Kesh than the Jedi, and no doubt faster than the large battle station. He could get there first and hide out.

Having made his decision, Kolbre typed a few commands into the holographic keyboard before him. Simultaneously, with surgeon-like precision, the droid-piloted fleet turned and jumped into hyperspace. Little did they know, they were being followed by a small grey meditation sphere, invisible even to their advanced sensors.

*aboard _Peacemaker_ , hyperspace*

Loriole sat in her quarters, wondering what was happening. For the first time since she started serving in the field, she dared to hope. Peace was in sight. For once she felt like peace would come in her era. There was the matter of the upcoming battle between Celestials and Devourers, but she had been told that Champions would be selected, and with her luck, she would enjoy some momentary peace.

Someone buzzed her door. Opening it, she realized it was more of a something than a someone. An immaculate protocol droid was standing outside.

"Greetings, Jedi Hybergo. I am Z-9K3, at your service. Jedi Kanghar would like to invite you to the on-board cantina for a drink." The droid intoned in a flat voice before pottering away with a whine of servomotors.

Loriole closed the door and tidied up her hair before heading to one of the seemingly infinite turbolifts. The cantina was huge, taking up one entire sublevel. Navigating it meant taking a small hovertrolley to float around. Strange-looking droids zipped around the cafeteria on small repulsors, delivering food and drink. Right now, it was comparatively deserted, so it was fairly easy to locate Itoryo, although she had to duck to avoid getting decapitated by some low-flying serving droids.

Loriole joined Itoryo at her table. They smiled warmly at each other in greeting. "Took you long enough to get down here L, I figured out a few tricks while you were taking your own sweet time getting here." Itoryo jested.

Pressing a button built into the side of the table. With a quiet hum, the table rose on a hidden platform, chairs and all, and it flew over to a recessed alcove built into the wall of the cafeteria.

Loriole was impressed. "Looks like they spared no expense." A holographic menu popped up and Loriole ordered a tankard of some good old Corellian ale.

The two women sat in silence, enjoying each other's presence. Once their drinks had arrived, Loriole broke the silence.

"Itoryo, what's the matter?" Itoryo's worry was written all over her face and in her Force aura. Itoryo bowed her head and closed her eyes. Loriole knew what was wrong without Itoryo even answering.

"You're worried about your family on Kesh, aren't you? You're afraid that the High Lords or the Jedi will persecute them right?"

Itoryo nodded mutely. Loriole could tell that the other woman was struggling with her feelings and was trying not to break out in tears.

Wordlessly, Loriole reached out and gently squeezed Itoryo's shoulder, a quiet touch that spoke volumes. Almost at a signal, the raven-haired woman collapsed into Loriole's arms and broke out into heaving sobs.

Loriole gently rubbed Itoryo's back, knowing that there was nothing she could say to make the situation better, even as the _Peacemaker_ drew ever nearer to Kesh.

*Kesh, Chamber of the High Lords*

Yertasdo Hallk knew something was up. A few hours back, he had felt a strange tingle in the Force, a funny mixture of fear, awe, and delight. That feeling had subsided, but refused to go away, niggling at the back of his skull like an annoying itch.

Yertasdo sat in his seat, trying to figure out what it was, even as the other High Lords argued about the best course of action. They had been doing so for the past few weeks, and so far of those heated "discussions" only a few minor raids against remote Jedi outposts had been approved, and even among those, only a small percentage had actually been carried out, with the result usually being a garbled distress call followed by a dead signal.

High Lord Hallk was normally rather quiet and subdued during these Chamber meetings, more so since his defeat and narrow escape at the Battle for Fresia. He had not been punished for his failure, for the Grand Lord was a fair man and recognized that he could not have done anything. Yertasdo found that being quiet could work in his advantage, as long as his silence was not misinterpreted as contempt or inability. People tend to listen when a quiet person speaks up. He had used this to his advantage when petitioning for the assault on the Fre'ji system to be approved.

Yertasdo stepped out into the glorious sunlight. A brief recess had been called, and he was glad to be back outside, enjoying the fresh air.

The High Lord stood at the railing overlooking the capital city of Tahv. Keshtah Minor was doubtlessly beautiful, even more so with the goods imported from Keshtah Major. An uvak circled lazily in the blue sky.

Yertasdo knew he should be grateful for his position, yet he always had a deep feeling that others should be treated equally, especially when he walked past this or that person sentenced to hard labour for the rest of their lives.

The recess would be over in 10 more minutes. Almost by chance, Yertasdo happened to look up at the sky.

At first, all he saw was blue sky and clouds drifting peacefully. Then, he saw a tiny speck. The speck grew larger, and resolved itself into a massive sphere the size of a moon. Yertasdo blinked, once, twice. Then he rubbed his eyes and slapped himself. No, this was not a hallucination. Whatever had entered their system was real.

Small flashes of light appeared as the Keshiri planetary defense fighters engaged the foreign object. From the light prickles in the Force, Yertasdo could tell that it was not going well.

Then, an alarm sounded. Yertasdo hurried inside.

*aboard _Peacemaker_ *

Itoryo watched her planet grow larger in the observation room's front viewport. Master Fel stood beside her, a look of awe on his face. She knew what he was thinking, along with the other Jedi gathered there. How could this planet have gone completely unnoticed until now?

The Peacemaker had stopped near the edge of the Wild Space to pick up a frigate that had been stationed there, the _Scavenger_. Itoryo had watched it enter Hangar 1A. From the stealth panels plastered all over its flanks, as well as the massive array of shielded sensors, and it's relative close proximity to Kesh all pointed to it being the ship that had discovered her planet's location.

Itoryo had watched the stealth clone troopers march off the ship. They were silent and morose. Itoryo did not harbor any grudges against these men. They had simply been doing their jobs, and even she could see the need for peace.

The stealth fighters had intrigued Itoryo the most. She couldn't help but be completely taken with the sleekness and elegance of the Stealth-Xs. Watching them being lifted out from the hangar of the Scavenger involuntarily reminded her of her manic old art and beauty appreciation teacher when she was still a youngling. Back then she had struggled to see the beauty in Kesh artworks. Now, she realized, she understood a new truth. Art that is meant to be beautiful almost never is, but true beauty is in functionality, and beauty is a natural thing that is birthed from things never meant to be beautiful, and cannot be forged.

On the observation bridge, Itoryo was brought back to the present when a clone sitting at a console called out to the Grand Master. "Grand Master, our midichlorian sensors are picking up a fleet of ships just behind the star of this system. Preliminary scans show they may be Sith ships, but they're not showing up on our other scopes, so they're probably stealth ships."

Jagnord frowned. "This must be the One Sith fleet the Grey Knight spoke of. No matter, we will deal with the Lost Tribe first. Once they attack, we will beat them back and destroy their fleet."

Through the front viewport, small specks could be seen approaching the Peacemaker. Defense fighters. Jagnord nodded to a clone commander sitting at a console nearby.

The clone spoke into the mic built into his console. "Turbolaser battery emplacements 46C through 69D, please engage oncoming enemy fighters."

The high power lasers started flashing from the battle station, and the distant fighters exploded in flashes of light as the long-distance energy blasts found their marks.

Jagnord turned to another clone commander. "Standby to launch the _Empirical_. I want the Grand Lord of the Lost Tribe on that ship and aboard this space station as soon as possible."

The clone nodded and turned to type some commands into his console.

Jagnord smiled. This was going well, and the One Sith had delivered themselves to him. Today was a good day.

*on Kesh*

The Chamber was in uproar. The last of the defense fighters had been wiped out, and the space station was approaching fast. Every last fighter had already been scrambled and they had taken to the skies in a futile attempt to ward off this inevitable threat. Right now, the High Lords were debating whether they should launch their own frigates and cruisers to support the fighters.

Yertasdo was silent again. He knew there was no point fighting. The Jedi space station was something they had no hope of ever beating. He watched as the other High Lords squabbled over the best course of action.

Eventually they came to a decision. They would launch everything they had, in the hopes that it would overwhelm the space station's defenses. Many of the High Lords were resigned to their fate, and just went along with it.

High Lord Hallk watched as the _Vestara_ , the flagship of their fleet and newly repaired, rose out of its hangar. The sleek and elegant frigate had never looked more beautiful in the light of the setting sun. From the Chamber balcony, Yertasdo knew this would be the last time he would be seeing this ship.

*aboard _Peacemaker_ *

A clone turned to Grand Master Skywalker. "Sir, they have launched their frigates against us."

Jagnord simply nodded. "Target the largest frigate. Show them we mean business."

The clone spoke quietly into his mic. "All Turbolaser batteries and artillery emplacements target the nearest enemy ship. Turbolaser batteries 59A through 103G target the largest frigate. Fire at will."

A barrage of lasers burst forth from the Peacemaker. The largest frigate was just exiting the atmosphere when the high powered lasers smashed into it, stopping it dead in its tracks. The turbolasers left massive scorch marks on its flanks, and every hit caused it to rock wildly.

The other ships were faring just as poorly. Some had already been destroyed under the concentrated fire of the galaxy's most advanced turbolasers and artillery cannons. The rest were taking serious damage, and looked like they wouldn't last very long.

The largest frigate had its ion drives at maximum power, and was struggling to move forward under the heavy barrage of laser fire. It's own turbolaser batteries were discharging their energies, but the lasers fizzled out long before they could hit the Peacemaker.

Jagnord watched as the _Vestara_ struggled towards the station. It was one of the last ships left. Turning to one of the clone commanders, he ordered, "Destroy that ship."

The clone nodded and rattled off a quick chain of orders into his mic. A second later, a pair of artillery cannons fired simultaneously, and their deadly payloads rocketed towards the frigate in perfect synchronization, spiraling through space. An instant later, they smashed into the bridge of the _Vestara_ , and blew it apart.

Even as the frigate hung dead in space, two baradium missiles were fired, and they hit the crippled frigate right in the middle, and the frigate burst into a massive ball of flame that died out a short while later.

Some of the Jedi cheered. The space around Kesh was still now, and it was newly adorned with the bits and pieces of destroyed starships. Jagnord pressed a button, and a while later, the nose of the Empirical slid silently out of the hangar, as the ship inched its way out on its mission to pick up the Grand Lord for peace talks.

*on Kesh*

It was over. Yertasdo knew. Earlier he had watched the _Vestara_ blow into a big burst of flame. Now a ship easily five times the size of the _Vestara_ was approaching the planet.

The Chamber was quiet and somber. The Grand Lord sat with his head bowed. Suddenly, the silence was broken by the quiet beeping of a holoreceiver. It was a transmission from the approaching ship.

The Grand Lord pressed the button. From his position, Yertasdo could not hear the conversation, but he could tell it was not good.

The Grand Lord shut the holo off and announced, "The Jedi want to discuss peace terms. I am to board this ship and join them on their space station. Tell the planetary defenders to stand down."

*an hour later*

Yertasdo watched as the Grand Lord boarded a Jedi shuttle, escorted by a squad of clones. The gargantuan Jedi frigate hung in the atmosphere just above them, casting a dark shadow on the land. A look of resignation and defeat was on the Grand Lord's face, and he looked more down than Yertasdo had ever seen. Watching the shuttle depart, High Lord Hallk did not know what laid in store for them all.

*aboard _Peacemaker_ *

The Grand Lord of the Lost Tribe, Dulko Hion, sat at a conference table, looking morose and depressed, yet somehow still maintaining a look of regality and majesty that befit his stature. A pair of ARC troopers stood guard behind him, and two more were waiting outside. His lightsaber had been confiscated, as had his shikkar. Weaponless, his fleet obliterated, and in the belly of the beast, Dulko had never felt more helpless.

Presently, a tall bearded man, with every visible hair grey, entered the room. He contemplated Dulko for a while, before introducing himself. "Greetings, Grand Lord Hion. My name is Jagnord Skywalker, Grand Master of the Jedi Order. It is a pleasure to finally meet."

Dulko nodded, not sure what to make of the Jedi's politeness. Skywalker continued. "I am here with my Jedi Order to discuss peace terms. This war has raged on for too long. We will allow life on this planet to continue as per normal, but you will not be allowed to build any ships nor leave the planet. This space station will remain in orbit around your planet as a precautionary measure."

Dulko found himself slightly disappointed yet relieved. He had expected a much harsher punishment, perhaps enslavement of his people, or maybe the takeover of his planet by the Jedi. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a shrill beeping.

Skywalker took out a strange-looking device and pressed a button. Through the speaker a tinny voice could be heard. Dulko sensed a sudden urgency take over the Jedi, and before he could ask Skywalker snapped the device shut and stood up. "Apologies Grand Lord, an emergency has cropped up and I must deal with it. You may stay here for the time being. Perhaps you will get a taste of what this battle station is capable of." And with that, he swept out of the room with a flourish of robes.

Dulko turned his chair around to face the viewport. Through the viewport he could see the emergency that had cropped up. A fleet of evil-looking ships had materialized from behind the sun and was making a beeline for the battle station. He could recognize the symbol splashed over the ships' flanks.

The One Sith had just launched their attack.

*in observation room*

It was all hands on deck, with clones rushing about, shouting orders and adjusting things. It was chaos. The One Sith fleet had turned off their cloaking devices and their ships had launched their starfighters. They were all rushing towards the _Peacemaker_ , with no intention of being peaceful.

Itoryo stood there in the midst of it all, dumbfounded. Jagnord strode into the room, calm and assertive. The starfighters had already been launched, and all the turbolaser batteries and artillery emplacements had been prepped.

Jagnord watched as the ships approached. Waving to a nearby clone, he told him, "Give me a scan on those ships. I want to know what kind of armaments they have."

The clone turned around and typed rapidly into his console. A series of holograms popped up on the tactical display, showing detailed diagrams of the ships. There was a variety of frigates, cruisers, and destroyers, but another ship caught Jagnord's eye. It was a small, one-person fighter, and it looked positively evil. Sleek, it's nose was a series of sharp spikes intertwined with powerful-looking laser cannons. Its wings were sharply angled, and the edge glinted with the shine of sharp metal. The computer onboard the Peacemaker was capable of cross-referencing anything with the entire Jedi database, and right now it's analysis of this ship pointed to it being a successor to the Annihilator-class starfighter.

Jagnord wondered how the One Sith had enough people to man an entire fleet. The answer to his unasked question came when a console pinged, and the results of the midichlorian scan showed that the ships were mostly staffed by a new kind of battle droid. There were only minimal human presences, and the count matched the last known One Sith numbers.

Jagnord watched as the X-wings and Y-wings were launched out of the hangars on the _Peacemaker_. Watching the rest of the fleet emerge fully from behind the sun, he extended himself in the Force. As he expected, the strongest dark-side presence was aboard the largest ship, a massive battle cruiser just a tad smaller than the Empirical.

Jagnord sat down in the command chair and grabbed the mic. He spoke into it, and his voice was magnified throughout the observation room. "Target the largest ship with the hyperlaser. I want it destroyed."

Clones started flicking switches. The entire battle station started thrumming as the massive weapon began charging up energy.

Loriole watched with a mixture of awe and fear as the first of the eight primary lasers discharged, followed closely by the remaining lasers just below the observation room. The eight beams of super high-powered lasers converged at the focal point, combining their deadly energies into one large roiling ball of destruction. The unstable orb of pure power boiled and bubbled like a living being. It craved destruction. It just needed a catalyst. That catalyst soon came in the form of the secondary laser. The beam of light shot straight and true, striking the thrumming ball of energy dead center.

And the catalyst erupted.

A massive beam of energy burst forth at phenomenal speeds, pulsing and throbbing. There was no way the battle cruiser could dodge.

*aboard _Palpatine_ *

Dearth Kolbre was watching impassively as his fighters swarmed towards the large battle station. Suddenly, a console started beeping wildly. A droid turned to Kolbre. "My Lord, we are being targeted by the battle station."

Kolbre was floored. At this distance? Turns out he had definitely underestimated the Jedi this time, and it would spell his doom. His fears were confirmed an instant later when the Jedi battle station started charging up its hyperlaser. Even so far away, the bright ball of energy was hurting Kolbre's eyes. There was no way he could escape.

Suddenly, the comm exploded with noise. It was from the destroyer next to the Palpatine. "Master, get out of there! We will block for you! Go!"

Kolbre snapped out of his reverie. Turning to a droid, he shouted "Full reverse thrust! Get us out!"

The ship slowed, then started moving backwards at a painfully slow pace. The destroyer next to their ship, piloted by one of Kolbre's former apprentices, swung itself in front of the Palpatine, positioning itself sideways. Kolbre could see the bridge. His former apprentice stood there, looking somberly into his eyes across the short distance between their ships. He saluted. Kolbre returned the salute.

Then the ship exploded.

*aboard Peacemaker*

It was beautiful to watch. The hyperlaser blasted forth, burning through space like no other weapon could. The Jedi could see the One Sith ships desperately maneuvering, with one destroyer trying to bodyblock the laser. There was nothing they could do about that.

Then the laser hit.

It blasted through the shields in an instant, incinerating the hull. The destroyer was blasted apart, flames rolling from its interior. Then the second phase of the laser kicked in. The unstable energies combined with the metal of the ship and created a miniature singularity inside the ship, and as the Sith and the Jedi alike watched, the ship started to implode, sucking the flames in as well, before the singularity was overwhelmed and the crumpled ship exploded again into a million tiny pieces.

Itoryo was stunned. The observation room was silent. Even the starfighters had stopped dogfighting. Everyone had been completely blown away by the sheer magnitude of the power of the laser. Down in his room, Dulko was amazed. He knew that if the Jedi had not been merciful and if they had used the hyperlaser on his planet, it would have suffered a similar fate. For the fact that they had not, he suddenly felt a strong liking for the Jedi.

*aboard _Palpatine_ *

Darth Kolbre was flabbergasted. All that remained of the destroyer that had saved his life was a few pieces of metal floating in space. The laser was phenomenally powerful. It truly boggled his mind to see that the Jedi had created a weapon of such power and destruction.

A strange peace took over the space around Kesh. The starfighters had all returned to their respective sides of the battlefield. Not a single laser was fired. Both sides were at an impasse. The Sith were reluctant to attack for fear of getting obliterated, and the Jedi were reluctant to use the hyperlaser again once they had witnessed it's amazing power.

An eerie silence permeated space. Kolbre was at a loss. He decided to wait out the Jedi, and see how they would respond.

All of a sudden, a pain flashed through his temple, and he winced. Immediately he was transported to another place.

*aboard Peacemaker*

Jagnord was in awe. He had no idea that the hyperlaser was capable of this kind of destruction. Right now there seemed to be a temporary truce.

All of a sudden, a pain flashed through his mind, and he closed his eyes, wincing.

When he opened them, he was somewhere else. The grey durasteel surfaces of the _Peacemaker_ were gone. Instead he was in a room of light, pure light, stretching as far as the eye could see. It was not harsh, rather it was soft and gentle. Jagnord looked around. He was alone.

Not for long.

Jagnord sensed three beings approaching. He turned to face them. The one in the middle was an old bearded man dressed in grey robes. To his right, a young woman of immeasurable beauty with radiant white robes. To his left, a brooding young man dressed in pitch black robes.

Jagnord immediately knew who they were. The Celestials. He knelt reverently.

The Father beheld him, before intoning, "Rise, young one." Jagnord rose unsteadily to his feet.

The Father contemplated Jagnord for a while. He then sighed, before continuing. "The contest for the fate of our galaxy is coming soon, sooner than we expect. The reformation of Abeloth has stirred the Devourers from their deep slumber. There will be a series of games, overseen by the Creators, in which our champions and the champions of the Devourers will take part, culminating in a battle to the death between the survivors.

You need to know more about the Devourers. The concept of duality exists even among us. The Force is split into light and dark, and the Force itself has an antithesis. It is called the Aether, and just as the Force stems from the presence of midichlorians, the Aether stems from the lack of them." The Father paused to let that sink in.

Jagnord paled. "Then you don't mean…"

The Father nodded gravely. "The Devourers will be choosing champions from the realm of the dead. The strongest Sith Lords who had ever lived."

The Daughter smiled at Jagnord. "Not to worry young one. We will be choosing our champions in a week. Three Jedi for me, three Sith for my brother, and three Grey Knights for my Father. You must all head to the Mortis Monolith, for we will reform there in a week's time."

Jagnord wanted to ask a question, but the Celestials had already faded away. He blinked, and he was back in the observation room of the Peacemaker. Judging from the pale faces of his Jedi, he could tell that they had all received the same Force vision.

He turned to a nearby clone. "Prep the Empirical, the Intrepid and the Tahiri. We're going to the Mortis Monolith."

 **A/N hey guys that was pretty long huh, took quite a while cos I'm in Japan so I'm having to type this on my iPad using shitty wifi. Many thanks to DhuryamDhuryam for all your great ideas, and thanks also for letting me use your name for the anti-Force.**

 **as always, feel free to leave a reivew commenting on my writing, and don't forget to enjoy the story**

 **stay awesome**

 **happy reading, darkrai**


	9. Chapter 8: Champions

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **All content is non-canon**

Chapter 8: Champions

*Mortis Monolith*

The large chunk of metal floated in space, held in place by several gargantuan tractor beams affixed to space stations. The atmosphere, or lack thereof, was tense, what with the three massive Jedi _Destructor-II_ class frigates and the entirety of the One Sith fleet clustered around the Monolith.

The Lost Tribe elders were not too happy about being in the middle, or at least in the middle of the _Empirical_ 's starfighter hangar, guarded by an entire squadron of elite ARC troopers, dwarfed by the Laser-Xs and Y-Speedsters as well as the new Zeta-Eifsprite class Jedi fighters. Dulko Hion, Grand Lord of the Lost Tribe, looked around at his High Lords and their chosen senior Sith Sabers. He had never felt so powerless before, not counting when the Jedi had destroyed his fleet and fired the _Peacemaker_ 's hyperlaser.

Up in the bridge of the _Intrepid_ , Itoryo was reading up on the history of the Mortis Monolith. Apart from the records of Anakin Skywalker's mission, there was not much known about the Mortis Monolith. The Quest Knights had searched long and hard, and eventually located it, but they were unable to enter it. The Jedi Order had then secured the Monolith by building gigantic space stations while using frigates to hold it steady with their tractor beams until the space stations were operational.

Now, the Monolith hung suspended in position, held in place by 5 separate tractor beams. It radiated Force power. Itoryo could see Loriole sweating constantly, and Teimos fidgeted very often. She herself could feel her skin tingling every now and then.

It had been 3 days since the Force vision that the Jedi and Sith alike had received. The tension was building. Itoryo could sense even the One Sith's leader's trepidation, and his ship was all the way across from the Monolith. The One Sith fleet definitely outnumbered the Jedi ships right now, but they were most certainly, completely and hopelessly outgunned. Only the flagship of the fleet, a huge battle cruiser Itoryo had learned was christened the _Palpatine_ , after the infamous Sith Lord who had duped the Jedi Order and executed Order 66, was on par with the Jedi ships in terms of size, and even then was not on equal footing with them.

*aboard _Palpatine_ *

Darth Kolbre fingered his lightsaber absent-mindedly, running his fingers over its smooth hilt. He had to be careful. The cross-guard lightsaber was an ancient family heirloom, passed down all the way from Kylo Ren, Princess Leia's bastard son. He had tweaked it and refined the weapon, from its ragged blade and crackling exhaust ports which used an unstable, cracked kyber crystal, to become a smoother, more stable blade.

Kolbre surveyed the Monolith, held in the exact center of 5 criss-crossed tractor beams. It was a beautiful thing to behold, a perfectly shaped prism of unknown metal. He could sense the Force radiating from inside, a portal to another dimension.

His mind turned to the recent Force vision. The Aether. It hung on his mind like a shadow. He had rejected the shadowy presence years ago, and many times after until recently when he thought it had finally gone. But now it was back, tempting him with even more power. He had always felt that something was wrong, but back then he had been unable to put a name to it. But now that he could, it was easier to reject it, but that whispering voice, that disembodied, unnatural voice came more often, like a horde of shadows advancing on him.

Darth Kolbre knew the danger of seeking too much power. He had done research on Sith Lords that had become immeasurably powerful and attained abilities beyond those of the Force. Sidious, Krayt, Bane, and more. He had acquired samples of their DNA from different periods in their life, and he had noticed a disturbing trend. After a certain point, the rate at which their powers had increased was directly proportional to the rate at which their midichlorian count dropped, to the point where, in the case of some like Plagueis and Naga Sadow, at the peak of their powers, not a single midichlorian could be found in their DNA. They were more dead than alive.

This had troubled Kolbre, and he swore to himself that he would never let such a fate befall him, and thus he vehemently rejected the voice which he now knew was the Aether, and submitted his underlings to constant blood checks, and those with dropping midichlorian counts were quarantined, and most were eventually executed personally by him.

The One Sith had noticed this, and they too had developed an inherent fear of gaining too much power. Their peers who had been quarantined had always been on equal footing with them, but when their powers started to increase exponentially out of nowhere, their bodies started to deteriorate. Darth Kolbre was fine with their fear of gaining too much power, as this kept him in his position. The One Sith had gone decades without much infighting, and the next leader was always elected peacefully. It amused him that the One Sith, which once aimed to destroy democracy and establish a Sith monarchy, was now a democratic monarchy.

Kolbre leaned back into his command chair. Four more standard days till the time of reckoning. Plenty of time to relax.

*2 days later*

Loriole stepped onto the bridge of the _Intrepid_ , yawning. She had been bored out of her mind these past few days. The constant pulsing of Force energy from the Monolith didn't help. It kept her constantly on edge and she couldn't sleep. Her fellow Jedi didn't seem to be affected, so when Itoryo came to her complaining about sleep deprivation she was reassured in the fact that she was not alone.

Looking out the bridge at the majestic sight which she had already gotten used to, Loriole slumped into a chair, utterly exhausted. Teimos was not doing any better. Even though he wouldn't admit it, Loriole knew he was not getting any sleep either, evident by the massive shadowy bags under his eyes.

Glancing out of the front viewport for the umpteenth time, Loriole noticed something different. She realised she somehow had a knack for spotting far-off objects in space.

A fleet of grey spheres was approaching in a ten by ten formation. One corner of the square was noticeably missing.

The Grey Knights had arrived.

The square of meditation spheres wheeled around in space, maintaining perfect formation. Up close, the spheres looked deadly, more so than even the _Annihilator-II_ class fighters. Strange, smooth protrusions stuck out from the front of the spheres, resembling some kind of railgun or phasor. But besides that, the rest of the sphere was almost perfectly smooth.

Everyone had noticed the new arrivals by now. The Sith and Jedi watched as the Grey Knights pulled their formation of 99 ships to a halt next to the Monolith.

For a moment, everything was still. And the stillness that remained after was eerie. All three sets of ships hung in the emptiness of space, still and silent.

*2 days later*

*aboard _Palpatine_ *

Darth Kolbre stood on the bridge of the _Palpatine_ , looking out the front viewport. Despite not getting much sleep recently, he was paying close attention to what was about to happen, and he was barely fatigued, mostly thanks to a large dose of caf.

All his underlings were watching closely as well from their own ships. The Jedi had ordered the space station's tractor beams be turned off for fear of interfering with the process.

Time ticked by. The Monolith floated, unmoving. Then, after a while, it started to vibrate ominously, sending a deep thrumming through space, causing the ships of both sides to shake and rattle as the Monolith woke up from its centuries-long slumber.

White light flashed from the sides of the rhombohedron. A horrible grinding noise reverberated through space, defying all laws of physics. The Monolith opened on unseen hinges, unfolding its strange shape and revealing what lay inside.

This was a sight not seen by anyone in centuries. It was stunning. A perfectly shaped circle of pure darkness, hung in the center of the Monolith. The portal to Mortis.

Darth Kolbre was breathless. The sheer magnitude of size of the portal blew his mind. All three of the Jedi frigates could have fit with room to spare for five more such ships. It therefore amused him when only two small shuttles departed from the Jedi frigates and headed for the portal. The ninety-nine Grey Knight meditation spheres followed closely behind. Kolbre turned with a flourish of his robes and headed to his personal shuttle in the hangar.

*Mortis*

Itoryo stepped off the shuttle. The land of Mortis was desolate, barren of almost all life. The land was dark, with clouds hanging dark and low in the sky. Nearby stood the skeletons of what may have been trees a long time ago, now withered and fossilized. This was a land abandoned by the Force.

The other Jedi shuttle touched down next to them, and discharged the Lost Tribe elders, escorted by a troop of specially-bred Force-sensitive clone troopers.

Nearby, an evil-looking shuttle descended from the sky, with spikes and protrusions all over its nose. The One Sith. Overhead, the fleet of Grey Knight meditation spheres flew by, making for a large clearing.

In the distance, a broken structure could be vaguely seen. It resembled a monastery of some kind. Large chunks of oddly-shaped rocks littered the entire surface of the land, and upon closer inspection of one of the rocks, Itoryo noticed it was covered with scorch marks, like it had been hit with a concussion grenade.

The pulsing of the Force was even stronger here. It was as if the Monolith had acted as a barrier to stop the massive amounts of Force energy leaking out.

Itoryo grimaced, trying to get a grip of herself. She could see the Grand Master also struggling with the sudden input of such a vast amount of Force energy. For some reason, she, Loriole and Teimos seemed to be not as adversely affected, only suffering some mild discomfort.

As the Jedi and Sith alike tried to handle the immense amounts of Force energy pulsating through this realm, Itoryo caught sight of a familiar face and rushed over.

High Lord Yertasdo Hallk was weary, courtesy of the lack of sleep from the constant reverberation of Force energy from the Monolith, so he did not notice Itoryo running to him until she enveloped him in a bear hug.

The kindly Sith looked down and chuckled benignly. "Well now, Saber Kanghar, or should I call you Jedi Kanghar now? We all thought there was no way you could've survived once the Jedi arrived, but here you are, and among their ranks, no less."

Itoryo tried not to let her tears fall, squeezing her eyes shut. Ignoring the stares of the other High Lords, some of whom were starting to remember her, she whispered to Yertasdo, "I feared for you. You were kind to me when I was young, and I thought you dead in that battle."

The bearded man chortled. "It'll take more than that to kill me. Now get back to your comrades. Your place is with them now. I see that this is the will of the Force."

Itoryo nodded, and turned away, wiping her tears away with the sleeve of her robe. Loriole draped her arm around Itoryo's shoulders comfortingly.

Just then, a Grey Knight approached them, walking with long, confident strides. Stopping before them, he addressed the Jedi and Sith alike.

"Assembled Jedi and Sith, we must make our way towards the large monastery in the distance, for that is where the Celestials will reform. Come, let us not delay any more, for our time is short." Turning on his heels, the Grey Knight headed back towards his comrades, who were in turn already making their way towards the broken monastery.

As one, the Jedi and Sith alike advanced towards the monastery, just beyond a dead forest.

*half an hour later*

Loriole couldn't help but be wary as they trekked through what might have been, at one point in time, a lush forest. Now it was a mass of dead tree trunks. She was constantly on edge, half expecting a wild animal of some kind to leap out at them. But no, during the one hour trek through the dead jungle, no wild animals of any kind jumped out at them.

The forest of dead trees was kind of ominous. It was dark and eerie. The barren branches swayed on an unheard and unfelt wind. The lack of any sign of life whatsoever added to the gloominess.

Loriole trudged on. The ground beneath her feet was dry and cracked, blackened with soot. Their progress towards the monastery was compounded by the fact that there were several large boulders in their way, with sizes ranging from the size of a small landspeeder to some the size of mountains.

With a start, Loriole realized that some of those actually were mountains. According to the report on the last known Mortis Monolith mission carried out by Anakin Skywalker, he had described "mountains floating in the sky", and the report also detailed what had happened when all three Celestials had been seemingly killed, with the scene being described as "rocks started to fall from the sky, and the mountains also started to fall. Then there was a large explosion and we ended up outside the Monolith in our ship, and the Monolith had disappeared"

Loriole pondered this as they skirted the base of yet another mountainous rock in their path. This place was obviously attuned to the Force, for it to have such a violent reaction to the death of the Celestials.

At long last, they finally arrived at the base of the broken monastery. A large piece of strange-looking rock lay on the ground before it. It was translucent, and Loriole realised it must have been a crystal of sorts, and it must have been beautiful to look at before it had been destroyed.

Making their way indoors, Loriole gasped at the interior of the monastery. Despite the exterior being greatly damaged, the interior had been well preserved and well protected from the outside. Gentle light with no source poured through the massive stained-glass windows. The dome of the monastery stretched high into the sky, at least 500 meters straight up, and save for the holes in the dome, it was breathtaking, and it was dotted with mosaics.

There was a massive altar, and it dwarfed the Jedi and the Sith. It was easily 20 meters tall. Behind the altar, were three sarcophagi. Loriole stifled a gasp. A Grey Knight answered her unasked question. "Yes, those sarcophagi contain the mortal bodies of the Celestials."

The Lost Tribe's Grand Lord turned to face the Grey Knight in question. Dulko asked him, "Well? We're here already. What do we do now?"

The Grey Knight simply replied, "We wait." He then turned to join his comrades, and they all knelt in meditation.

Darth Kolbre sighed. "Well, might as well make ourselves comfortable," before promptly slumping on the ground, back against one of the towering walls.

The Jedi and Sith alike varied themselves, some lying on the ground to sleep, others choosing to pace around to keep themselves awake, while others still pulled out their lightsabers and sparred for a while.

The hours ticked by. Some got impatient. Loriole remembered that time passed differently in Mortis. In Anakin Skywalker's report, what had seemed like days in Mortis had seemed only like a moment in real-time. They could be here for weeks on end and only a few seconds would pass for the clones aboard their frigates.

Time dragged on. Loriole's lack of sleep eventually got to her, and she dozed off.

In her sleep, she dreamed, but her dreams were anything but peaceful. Her dreams here were unlike any other she had experienced. Memories flashed by. Loriole saw herself as a youngling, frolicking in the Jedi Temple. She saw herself as a Padawan, training hard under her Master. She saw herself as a Jedi Knight, fighting alongside Teimos on Tatooine, she saw her lightsaber getting destroyed, and she saw herself impaling the Lost Tribe Sith Saber on his own blade. Her dream flashed through her most recent memories, until they reached a point where everything was dark.

Loriole didn't know what was happening. She tried to force herself to wake up, but nothing happened. Suddenly, a bright light flashed into the darkness. Loriole was blinded. She staggered about in her dream, feeling around blindly. A gentle, warm hand gripped her forearm, causing a warm, calming sensation to flow through her being, and slowly, her sight returned. The person holding her arm was the young, beautiful lady she had seen in the Force vision a week ago. The Daughter.

The woman in the radiant robes released Loriole's arms, and spoke gently. "Young one, you are strong. Many pains and hardships await you in the coming weeks. You must become stronger, and you must shoulder the burden of protecting our galaxy."

Loriole shook her head. "I don't understand."

The Daughter looked sorrowful. "You are different from your friends. You will be the greatest Champion of them all, and you will be the one to land the final blow, the blow that ends this conflict once and for all. Whether or not that end favors us, is up to your efforts."

Loriole started crying, tears streaming down her face. "I don't want to be a part of this, I…I…"

The Daughter finished her sentence for her. "You're afraid of letting everyone down. You must have faith in your abilities. You will be the one to save us all."

Loriole continued to cry, tears flowing down her face like tiny rivulets. The Daughter sighed, and knelt down to look Loriole in the eye. "Young one, do not despair. I cannot determine the future for sure, but I know this. Your destiny is to be a Champion. Your destiny puts you in that arena, and you will be the one to land the final blow. We cannot change our destiny, but what we can change are the details. And that is what matters."

Loriole had stopped sobbing, although tears continued to drop out of her eyes. "I will shoulder this burden. I will protect my friends." She sniffled.

The Daughter smiled benevolently. "Do not fear. You have strong friends. They will be at your side when you need them, and they will help you achieve your destiny. Now wake, young one, for my reformation draws near."

Loriole woke with a start. She was in the monastery again. All was quiet and silent. Most of the people were asleep. Even the lightsaber sparring partners had sat down to rest. Loriole suddenly realised she had been crying in her sleep.

Getting up to stretch, she wiped her face with her robes. She saw Itoryo resting in a corner, and went over to her.

The raven haired Jedi looked up at her approach and smiled wearily. Loriole sat down next to her. For a moment, the two women just enjoyed each other's presence, like they had on the _Peacemaker_.

Presently, the Grey Knights rose as one. Loriole sat up. She had felt the reverberation in the Force, and so had the other Jedi and Sith.

The Celestials were returning.

The sarcophagi started reverberating. White light flashed out from the gaps between the lids of the sarcophagi. Cracks spread out like webs. The monastery began to rattle and shake. The stained-glass windows shattered. Chunks of stone rained down from the roof of the monastery.

Then the sarcophagi exploded.

Chunks of rock the size of small landspeeders blasted out in every direction with a deafening boom. A wave of dust billowed out, obscuring everything in view.

When the dust settled, the Jedi and Sith were unharmed. Standing before the altar, were three large beings. The Celestials.

The Father, a wizened old man with a grey beard and grey robes.

The Daughter, a young woman of immeasurable beauty in radiant white robes.

The Son, a brooding man, wearing dark robes with dark smoke rolling off them.

The three shrunk themselves down to human size, and beheld the assembled Jedi and Sith. The Daughter caught Loriole's eye and winked knowingly.

The Father then addressed the gathered crowd in a booming voice. "Jedi and Sith. We are here for the Choosing of our Champions. These Champions of ours will take on the Champions of the Devourers in a series of games, and the result will determine the fate of our galaxy."

The Father then turned to the Grey Knights. "Grey Knights, are you ready?" The Grey Knights nodded in affirmation.

Thus began a bizarre procedure neither the Jedi nor the Sith had ever seen.

Three Grey Knights stepped forward. The others raised their arms, and simply dissolved. They dissolved into Force energy, and this energy was channelled into the bodies of the three Grey Knights. Their armoured robes took on a metallic sheen, and their helmets became more streamlined.

When all the other Grey Knights' Force essences had been fully absorbed, the three remaining Grey Knights ignited their lightsabers. One had a single blade, which flickered back and forth between black and white. One had two separate blades, also flickering back and forth, seemingly exchanging the colours. The last one had two blades on a single hilt, and the colours were of similar fashion, alternating back and forth.

It was mesmerizing to watch. When that was finished, the three Grey Knights stepped back. A bright light that no one had noticed faded away.

Then the Daughter stepped up. In a regal voice, she announced, "Loriole Hybergo, Jedi Knight, step forth."

This was the moment Loriole had been dreading. Entranced, she slowly stepped forward, as if hypnotized. Each step was reluctant, yet some kind of invisible force seemed to pull her forward. The monastery was deathly quiet, except for her footsteps, echoing through the cavernous space like thunder.

Loriole stopped before the Daughter, and on a whim, descended to one knee. Looking up at the Daughter, she felt terrified, yet she felt a strange sense of calm. The Daughter smiled down at her with the same elegant smile she had graced Loriole with in her dream.

The Daughter spoke again. "Jedi Hybergo, present your lightsaber."

Loriole did so, not sure of what was happening. The Daughter spoke again. "Do you, Loriole Hybergo, Knight of the Jedi Order, agree to be my Champion, and fight in our name for the sake of our galaxy?"

Loriole trembled, but when she replied, her voice was so stable it surprised even herself. "Yes, I do."

Loriole felt Force energy wash over her. Her robes billowed. Strength surged through her limbs, and the lethargy from the lack of sleep was washed away. When she looked up, she noticed that her robes were now bright silver and gold, the fabric rippling in the flow of Force energy.

The Daughter touched Loriole's shoulder gently. "Rise, brave Champion, and claim your Legendary Saber."

Loriole was surprised. Taking her lightsaber back from the Daughter, she noticed it was different. The hilt was now elongated and adorned with ornate carvings.

Loriole activated the lightsaber, and the blade ignited with a loud _snap-hiss_ , and Loriole gasped in surprise.

Her once smooth cylindrical blade had changed. The purple blade had turned into a conical weapon, with the sides of the blade sloping upwards and tapering off into a sharp point. The blade itself pulsed with energy, and the purple was a fresher-looking colour, a more vibrant shade of purple. It was also at least a third of a meter longer than it originally was.

The process was repeated for the Daughter's other two champions, Itoryo and Teimos, incidentally. Itoryo's lightsaber became curved and thin, with the cutting edge at the bottom of the curve, with the blade thickening near the top, elongating to just a little longer than Loriole's blade. The blade was slender, and it was clearly designed for slashing. The single-edged blade was a bright leaf-green, with energy pumping through the blade. Teimos' twin blades had become flat and wide, with the cutting edge on both sides of the broad blades. His blades were a brilliant ocean-blue, as blue as the seas of Kamino.

Then the Son stepped forward and chose his three Champions, respectively Darth Kolbre of the One Sith, and Dulko Hion and Yertasdo Hallk of the Lost Tribe.

Darth Kolbre's crossguard lightsaber had its exhaust vents combined with the main blade, resulting in a triangular blade that was flat and broad at the bottom, and narrowed to deadly point at the top. Dulko's saberstaff had its blades elongated and thickened, while Yertasdo's twin lightsabers received a similar treatment as Teimos'. All of the Sith's lightsabers had turned a shade of dark, crimson red, the colour of blood, yet it seemed a more natural hue than that of their original sabers.

The Father then addressed the remaining Jedi and Sith once again. "All of you, thank you for coming. I ask now that you leave us with our Champions for a short while, as we have some matters to discuss."

With that, the Jedi and Sith exited the monastery, leaving the newly appointed Champions facing the Celestials.

The Father was grave. "Sit." He commanded.

"We have a lot to talk about."

 **A/N hey guys, i cranked this out as fast as possible, because the new school year is about to start and secondary 4 is hella hectic. once the school year starts on January the 11th I can't promise i will be able to upload as regularly (not that ive been keeping track of my upload intervals). do expect a longer wait between chapters as schoolwork will most certainly take center stage in my life, but not to worry, i will write as often as i can and i will definitely be uploading.**

 **btw, if youre confused about the shape of some of the sabers, Itoryo's saber resembles a katana. just imagine a green laser katana. better? Teimos and Yertasdo's blades resemble those old european broadswords**

 **as always, do feel free to leave a review commenting on my writing and don't forget to enjoy the story**

 **happy reading, and happy new year**

 **Darkrai**


	10. Chapter 9: A Legend

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **All content is strictly non-canon**

Chapter 9: A Legend

"The Aether is a dangerous power," The Father said. "It disguises itself as a deeper, more powerful part of the dark side, and tempts dark side users into falling into its trap with the promise of more power. Those who do fall victim eventually do gain immense power, but they are forever bound to the Aether's service. The midichlorians which give us life and allow the Force to flow among us resist the Aether, but once the user has accepted the Aether as their new master, the Force abandons these people, and their midichlorians slowly die out. Kolbre knows this." The Sith Lord bowed his head.

"Even in death, the Aether refuses to let go of its victim. Their souls float in a kind of limbo, until the Aether has a use for them and allows them to possess the body of a living being, but without their own consciousness. Some, like Sidious, can attain so much power they can force their soul back into the realm of the living and inhabit a new body." The Father told the group of Champions.

The Son stepped forward. "You have an advantage in this. As the Aether lures mostly dark side users, it is likely the Devourers will choose the souls of the strongest Sith Lords who have ever lived to be reborn as Champions, with all their original powers, memories, and personalities. They are Sith Lords, so you can use that to your advantage, and pit them against one another. Hopefully you can get them to fight amongst themselves and make it easier for you."

The Daughter alone was silent. Loriole gripped her new Legendary Saber, unfamiliar with the longer grip. The Daughter caught Loriole's eye and smiled reassuringly.

The Father continued. "The Creators will be overseeing a series of games. We do not know much, but we know the first contest will be that of a death maze. It is not a race to see who gets out first, but to see who survives long enough to get out. It is imperative that you all stay together, lest you become separated and fall. This series of contests will slowly eliminate the Champions involved, but you must all try to survive to the end, where there will be an arena match, where the survivors will be pitted against each other. Try to survive, and it will even the odds, if not tip them slightly in your favour."

The Daughter sighed. "For now, you must stay here and train. The Games will begin in a few standard weeks' time. Your friends will have to leave in the meantime and return to normal life. You must make good use of the way time flows here, and train as much as possible. You must be ready for the Games."

The Champions nodded solemnly. Weeks in real time could feel like months or even years here in Mortis, which would give them plenty of time to train.

The Nine made their way outside. The three Grey Champions stood to one side while the Jedi and Sith bade their comrades teary farewells. They departed in the shuttles, but not before Loriole grabbed an inconspicuous case from one of them.

The training began. It was very intense and very taxing. Loriole began to discover the benefits of being a Champion. Aside from her greatly amplified Force powers, she had greater stamina and was much stronger. She also discovered she had developed an innate ability to heal from minor wounds, which she found out when Darth Kolbre accidentally grazed her shoulder with his saber while sparring.

After what had felt like a few days, and the Champions had taken a break from training to eat some food, Itoryo asked the Celestials a question. "Why are the Devourers so keen on consuming our galaxy?"

The Celestials were quiet. After a while the Father spoke up. "The origin of this conflict dates back many, many millennia, from the dawn of creation. The Creators made our universe, and many others from the infinite nothingness that existed before time. Among the Creators were two brothers, Forca and Aesis. They were equally powerful, but the Elder Creators favoured Forca, and gave him all the best roles. Forca was put in charge of creating life, and Aesis was given the job of ruling the realm of the dead. Naturally, Aesis was jealous of his brother. Forca was always invited to dine with the other Creators, while Aesis was forgotten, left to brood in his realm.

Eventually, Aesis couldn't handle it anymore. He burst into the Creator's throne realm and attacked Forca with a vengeance. They grappled and struggled while the other Creators fled to their own realms. In the wake of their fight, countless galaxies and many universes were destroyed, and they almost ripped a hole in the fabric of the space-time continuum. Finally, the Elder Creators stepped in to end the conflict. They decided to punish both brothers, mainly for fear of Aesis becoming ever more vengeful if he was punished more. Forca and Aesis were both banished to their own realms, doomed to spend the rest of eternity locked among their own power.

They both went willingly, but Forca couldn't bear to abandon his precious universes and the galaxies within, so from his own power he birthed a new form of energy, that which we know now to be the Force. From the Force, he created the Celestials that would govern each galaxy and ensure peace.

Aesis knew this, and to spite his brother created his own form of power, the Aether, from which stemmed the Devourers. The Devourers and Celestials were locked in a millennia-old conflict, a conflict which caused the destruction of many more galaxies. The Creators had to step in again. The deities could no longer engage each other in direct combat, but had to choose mortal champions to fight in their stead. Which is what brings us here today." The Father concluded.

The Champions were silent. The fact that the origins of the fight with the Devourers stretched back to the literal beginning of time took a little while to get used to. Finally, Loriole sucked in a breath of air and blew it out with a soft whistle. "So this has happened across multiple galaxies?" she asked.

"Multiple universes even," the Daughter replied. "Aesis's hate for his brother is deep-rooted, and when you are immortal and have lived since the beginning of time, such a grudge is not easily forgotten."

Darth Kolbre spoke up too. "You said the Devourers would be choosing Champions from the realm of the dead, the strongest Sith Lords who ever lived. Do you know who they are?"

The Son nodded. "I know. These Sith Lords embraced my power, the power of the Dark Side, and I relished their attention, until they abandoned me and chose to receive the power of Aesis. There will be Nine, and they are Darth Sidious, Darth Krayt, Darth Malgus, Darth Nihilus, Naga Sadow, Darth Plagueis, Darth Caedus, Darth Bane and Exar Kun. These are the Aether Champions you will be fighting against."

Kolbre whistled under his breath. "Those guys are powerful. Even when they were still alive it took many Jedi to slay them. I can't begin to imagine what kind of power they will possess when resurrected with the full power of the Aether."

After what seemed like weeks, Loriole discovered she could use a new Force ability. If she concentrated enough, she could form a sphere of pure Force energy and send it towards her opponents. The Daughter told her, "It is a special ability only usable by the greatest masters of the Force. Force lightning is a similar, but weaker ability available to the Dark Side. It is called a Force Sphere, and you can use its incredible power to do many things.

An eternity seemingly passed before the Celestials approached the Champions in the courtyard of the chapel.

The Father gestured for the Champions to cease their training and gather before him. "The Games will be beginning soon, get ready." He said.

Half an hour later, the Champions stood in line in the courtyard. Loriole had secretly distributed Lasertech G-25 hold-out blasters that they kept hidden in the folds of their robes.

A white pinprick of light appeared on the horizon, which rapidly grew to form a portal of light, and the Champions willed themselves to float on the Force, and they entered the portal to the realm of the Creators.

 **A/N hey guys, this is a rather short filler, but i hit a pretty bad writers block and couldn't for the life of me figure out how to connect the previous chapter to the actual Games, so i do apologise if this chapter seems a little awkward. School's started and holy crap its hectic. im planning on starting a Watch Dogs fanfic as well so do stay tuned for that as well as the updates for this story and my pokemon fanfic too**

 **as always, feel free to leave a review commenting on my writing, and don't forget to enjoy the story!**

 **happy reading, and stay awesome guys**

 **Peace, Darkrai**


	11. Chapter 10: The Maze

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **All content is strictly non-canon**

Chapter 10: The Maze

*Creator's throne realm*

In a desolate room, a room with no boundaries, existing beyond the limits of time and space, there were 9 thrones, each made of a different kind of material as to the liking of the respective Creators.

The thrones encircled a small courtyard of infinite dimensions, and it shifted and changed according to what the Creators wished to view. But now, it was dark and dry, and the thrones were empty.

Eventually, the Creators shimmered into existence. They were of many different shapes, one like a scorpion, one of humanoid shape but with many limbs, one like a massive five-legged beast but with a human upper body. There was one like a strange aquatic creature, with multiple heads of many different species, some not even discovered yet.

The Creators were massive, barely fitting into the thrones. They were made of infinite nothingness, their black skin dotted with pinpricks of stars, nebulae, and cosmic explosions.

The Creators regarded each other calmly, featureless faces betraying no emotion. They did not mention, but acknowledged the sole empty throne. Forca's throne. The younger Creator was still entrapped within his own realm, sealed by the powers of the Elders. They knew too that Aesis was struggling against the seal placed on him. The Elders had been forced to replace the seals periodically, so strong was his hate and rage that it ate away at the seals, burning them away.

The Elders had names, but they had long forgotten them, or if they indeed by some machination of power remembered, they didn't use them.

The 8 sat there, beholding the throne realm. Finally, one of them, the one with the body of the 5-legged beast, turned its monstrous head.

"Another Games is soon to begin."

"Indeed it is." The scorpion-like one intoned.

Another Elder, with massive curled horns on all of its 3 heads, turned to face the one with the body of the aquatic creature. "Will you oversee this Games?" a deep voice resonated from unseen lips.

The aquatic-creature-like Elder bowed one of its heads. "I will."

The Elders regarded once another again, before shimmering out of existence one by one.

*unknown realm*

Loriole closed her eyes, straining not to hurl the contents of her stomach. Vertigo overtook her. When her feet finally rested on solid ground, she gingerly opened her eyes.

What Loriole saw was just as nerve-wracking. A seemingly infinite expanse of space, with stars and galaxies visible all around them. The Champions were standing on what felt like solid ground, but in actual fact there was nothing beneath their feet.

Loriole gulped, and called on the Force to stabilize herself, which seemed to be getting easier now that she was a Champion of the Celestials. Her fellow Champions didn't seem to be faring as well. Itoryo was clutching her stomach, face turning a sickly shade of green. Teimos's face was scrunched up, looking as if he wanted to hurl. The Sith weren't much better off. While Kolbre seemed mostly fine, Yertasdo had closed his eyes and was breathing rapidly and shallowly, and Dulko had turned to the side and puked. The slimy green liquid didn't spatter on the invisible floor they stood on, instead falling into the abyss. This seemed to make Dulko even more uncomfortable, but he straightened up and composed himself.

Loriole turned to face forwards again. Across the seemingly infinite chasm of darkness, 9 figures had materialized. The Devourer's Champions.

Plagueis, his long, elongated face pale and stretched.

Sidious, the wrinkly folds of his face making him look like some kind of monster.

Krayt, with his rotten skin giving the impression that he had been dead for a long time.

Malgus, pale white skin and bald head giving him an eerie look, and the respirator he had been forced to wear while he had been alive was missing, leaving a sunken area around his mouth and nose.

Nihilus, face hidden by the white mask he wore.

Naga Sadow, his green skin a sickly pale shade, red eyes glinting malevolently.

Bane, face also hidden, but by a skull mask attached to a helmet, his amour glinting in the dim light.

Exar Kun, his once handsome face now sunken and pallid.

And finally, Caedus, his human features mostly unchanged, but his arm was a shadowy silhouette, a wound courtesy of his twin sister. Unlike the others, this wound seemed not to have been healed by the Devourers. Perhaps there were some kind of wounds that could never be healed.

The 9 were all clad in black robes, with dark smoke rolling off the hems of their cloaks. The lightsabers that hung at their belts were so black they were like black holes, an even darker shade of black than the space around them.

The two sets of Champions faced off across the vast abyss. Time ticked by, seemingly in an instant and yet it seemed like an eternity. Loriole wondered if this was because they were in an entirely different dimension, and the rules of time and space did not apply here as it did elsewhere.

Loriole felt the air ripple behind her. From the gentle touch in the Force, she knew that the Celestials were here.

On the other side, three shadowy, smoky beings materialized. The plumes of smoke coiled and writhed, before solidifying into three elegant-looking women, dressed in stunning black gowns identical to those the dark Champions wore. They would've been beautiful, had their skin not been rotten, their mouths gaping holes sporting huge fangs dripping with dark energy. Their hair was long but matted and dirty. The Devourers.

The one in the middle turned to face the Grey Champions. Loriole could feel the hate in her gaze. It had to be Abeloth. She remembered what one of the Grey Knights had said about delaying her return. That would explain why she was so angry.

Loriole looked at Caedus. The one-armed Sith Lord looked uncomfortable, shivering slightly. Loriole felt a touch in the Force, and heard the Daughter's voice in her head.

"Jacen Solo allowed the light through in his last moments of life, so his soul went to the Pool of Reflections. However, because he had attained such power through the Aether, before rejecting it, the rest of his soul hung in the balance, being torn at by both the Force and the Aether as the two energies battled to claim his soul as its own. Eventually, the Aether was able to claim his soul, and now he is here."

The Champions of the Force and the Champions of the Aether stood there, amid the vastness of space. Loriole noticed that some of the distant stars were pulsing strangely, with strange colours. The colours seemed different from any other she had seen in the galaxy, and she just couldn't find the words to describe them. Perhaps this really was an entirely different realm after all.

After an eternity had seemingly passed, a gargantuan being shimmered into existence. The creature had skin the colour of space, a purplish-black colour. It had fins all over its body, resembling some kind of aquatic monster. But the strangest part was its head. No, Loriole thought as her mind slowly took in the creature's appearance. Heads. Multiple heads. Many heads. Loriole blinked. Definitely not a hallucination. Whatever that creature was, it had a lot of heads.

Loriole could also feel the power radiating off its body. She had been awed by the Celestial's power, but this being was on a whole other level. Loriole doubted that this creature even cared about the existence of the Force, and even the Devourers cowered slightly in this creature's presence. Clearly, it was one of the Creators, one chosen to oversee this contest for their galaxy.

The Creator seemed to hover, floating on an unseen and unfelt force. One of its multiple heads turned to look downwards, taking in the puny humans and celestial beings before it. A deep voice boomed out from lips that could not be seen.

"Champions of the Celestials and Champions of the Devourers. You are here today to compete for the right to the galaxy of Jinkus Minorius."

Loriole frowned. She had no idea that her galaxy even had a name, but then again this was a being who had probably overseen the creation of many galaxies and universes.

The Creator continued in its deep voice. "The first competition will be held in the Maze Realm. Inside will be a maze filled with the deadliest creatures known, taken from your galaxy. There will be traps, and the Maze will change its configuration periodically. This is not a contest to see which group can make it out first, but which group can make it out at all."

The two sets of Champions nodded gravely. Loriole was worried. The fact that the Maze would change its layout every now and then did not ease her sense of dread.

The Creator raised a gigantic hand, and waved it. Loriole's vision went black, and she could feel herself hurtling through space.

* * *

Loriole opened her eyes. Thankfully this time, she was standing on solid ground instead of floating in space. As her eyes adjusted once again to the dim light, she faintly registered something huge just in front of her.

She looked upwards, craning her neck. It took her a few seconds to truly comprehend that what stood before her was a massive wall, reaching up so high into the murky sky that the top of the wall had vanished, obscured by a layer of ink-black clouds. Of what was visible of the wall though, still boggled Loriole's mind. One could have stacked up 5 Destructor-II class frigates, end to end, and still have space to spare before reaching the cloud layer. Strange purple torches were dotted on the wall, providing the dim light that illuminated the area.

The 9 stood there, beholding the huge wall. Near the bottom, there was a tiny, human-sized door, and the Champions wordlessly began to make their way there.

After a 5 minute trek, the Champions arrived. The gate was larger up close. It was made of an otherworldly metal, sturdy and ominously black. It was smooth, and the hinges were about half the size of a normal human. Kolbre, the tallest of the group, stood a full 2 meters below the arch of the gate.

A holographic image formed from wisps of smoke rising from the ground. It was the Creator overseeing the Games. The Creator intoned in its deep voice, saying, "This is the entrance to the Maze. You must make it to the central tower to reach the portal that will allow you to leave the maze realm. I will be taking note of any champions that are killed, and all remaining survivors must be present in order to be able to pass through the portal. Good luck." The image faded out.

Loriole looked up at her comrades. They all had a serious look set on their faces, with the exception of the three Grey Champions, for their faces were concealed behind their sleek, streamlined silver visors.

A loud grinding noise echoed from behind the gate, and the two huge doors began to swing outwards slowly, creaking on their hinges. As the doors opened, the Champions could see inside. It was a long, dark tunnel, with more of the purple-lighted torches mounted on the walls.

The Champions trekked sombrely through the tunnel, picking each step carefully to avoid tripping on the uneven, rough-cut floor. The walls were made of the same smooth material that made up the outer wall. Loriole noticed that the torches did not burn with fire, but seemed to be a liquid-like substance that burned gently, not flickering, providing a steady source of light in a wide spherical shape, illuminating the tunnel at even intervals.

Eventually, the tunnel opened up into a large, well-lit courtyard. Loriole squinted as she stepped into the unnaturally bright light, shielding her eyes. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she noticed that the courtyard was spacious, with a smooth, barren rock floor.

Up ahead, the courtyard split into 9 different paths, each dark and ominous, with purple torches sparsely mounted on the walls. In the distance, just above the tall walls, a single, cylindrical tower was barely visible.

Loriole turned as a lightsaber ignited with a loud _snap-hiss_. Kolbre was brandishing his menacing triangular blade. He stepped up to the wall and raised his blade. The Champions were silent, watching his every move.

Kolbre gently touched the saber to the wall, eliciting a loud hiss and a series of sparks. The tall Sith Lord quickly pulled his saber back. The wall was unmarked, but it rippled slightly, waves spreading out from the point of contact.

Kolbre deactivated his saber and reattached it to his belt. One of the Grey Champions stepped forward. This one was the only female Grey Champion, the other two were males. The Grey Champion extended her hand, and Loriole felt a ripple in the Force.

The Grey Champion turned to face her comrades. "The wall is but an illusion, a manifestation of the Creator's power. Beyond the wall is infinite space, and that is all I can tell. I sense that if we exert ourselves in the Force, we may be able to open a hole in the wall, and expose ourselves to the space outside. I suggest we don't do that."

The other Champions nodded. Turning to face the 9 paths, they wordlessly extended their arms, reaching out in the Force, using the powers granted to them by the Celestials to their fullest extent.

Loriole extended her senses as far as they could go, and she instinctively knew the safest path was the middle one.

As a group, the 9 Champions silently made their way down the path, into unknown dangers. Into the Maze.

 **A/N hey guys, sorry for this short chapter, but i honestly cant figure out how to work the action of the Maze into this chapter, so that'll be coming up in the next chappie. many many thanks to DhuryamDhuryam for contributing so many ideas to the story, i honestly don't know what I would be doing without his(hers?) great ideas.**

 **as always guys, feel free to leave a review commenting on my writing, and thank you all for your continued support**

 **remember to enjoy the story, and stay awesome**

 **Happy reading, Darkrai**


	12. Chapter 11: Deadly Paths

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **All content is strictly non-canon**

Chapter 11: Deadly Paths

The Nine trudged down the dimly lit path, with ominous grey walls on either side, stretching so high up the tops vanished into the thick, murky cloud layer. As they walked they could hear the distant cries of strange beasts. Loriole thought she heard the roar of a Rathtar, but it was strangely distorted, like the creature was in pain.

The path they had taken was winding, and it took many sharp turns. It sometimes felt like they were walking in circles. After what felt like an eternity, the Champions emerged into another courtyard, this time with several stone benches. Loriole suddenly felt fatigued, her feet aching.

Looking around, the slender woman noticed she was not the only one who was tired. Itoryo was panting heavily, and sweat streamed down Yertasdo's face. One of the Grey Champions looked down at the weary humans, then looked at the built-in chrono on his wristguard. "We have walked for over 7 standard hours. We should probably take a break."

Loriole was stunned. "That didn't feel like 7 hours."

The Grey Champion nodded. "Time flows differently in this realm. I merely used a stopwatch to time our walking."

Kolbre slumped on one of the stone benches, breathing hard. "I can't believe how tiring this is. How much longer till we exit the maze?"

Another Grey Champion turned to face Kolbre. "Based on past Games, the average time taken to exit the Maze Realm was approximately 2 standard weeks. The fastest time was 5 standard days, with the slowest being 1 standard month."

Teimos exhaled sharply. "2 standard weeks? Looks like we'll be here a while."

The Grey Champion nodded. "Indeed. Rest while you can. We shall move out again in an hour."

Loriole nodded and sat down gingerly on a bench, rubbing her calf. The low combat heels that came with her champion outfit were comfortable and practical, but right now she was seriously considering slicing off the heels with her saber and turning them into combat boots.

The 9 Champions arrayed themselves around the circular chamber, some lying on the benches, some sitting against the wall, some pacing the room. Loriole noticed the 9 more branched walkways leading out from the circular antechamber. They were all dark and ominous-looking. The purple light of the torches glowed gently in the distance. One of them flickered.

Loriole lay her head down. Suddenly, she sat up. So far, not a single one of the purple torches had flickered before. Her spine was tingling now, and her hand crept to the hilt of her lightsaber. She looked around. No one else had appeared to notice.

Loriole stood up slowly, gaze fixed on the walkway where the torch had flickered. Itoryo looked up at her from the ground. "Is something wrong?"

Loriole nodded. "I thought I saw something…"

She didn't get to finish. The ground started rumbling, reverberating as something large charged down that walkway. A disgusting sloshing sound echoed throughout the antechamber.

The Nine rose to their feet, lightsabers in their hands and ignited, bracing themselves for the onslaught of whatever creature was coming down that path.

Dulko inched towards the walkway apprehensively. Suddenly, a large tentacle shot out of the walkway and whipped Dulko, throwing him into the wall.

The others instinctively backed away as the gargantuan creature slowly emerged from the walkway, revealing itself in all its glory.

The enormous, deformed Rathtar roared, spraying saliva everywhere. Teimos stifled a scream. Its cylindrical body sprouted huge metal spikes, and its fangs crackled with dark energy. The beast's red eyes were unfocused, and it roared again. Whether in pain or just plain angry, Loriole did not know.

The creature lashed out with its tentacles, and Loriole quickly ducked, feeling the wind over her back as the tentacle swished past her. She could hear the sizzling noises as the Champions' sabers struck the beast's rotten skin. Dulko groaned on the ground nearby.

The Rathtar spun around, tentacles whipping around and spraying body fluids all over the room. The other Champions had arrayed themselves in a circle around the massive creature, and were taking turns to strike the beast, but their glancing blows did little to faze the monster.

Loriole rose to her feet and stumbled over to Dulko. She gripped the older Sith by the forearm and hauled the disoriented and groggy Grand Lord to his feet. Propping him against the wall far from the where the Rathtar was rampaging, she grabbed her lightsaber and rejoined the fray.

As Loriole advanced on the beast, it suddenly turned around and flung its tentacles at her. The slender woman was forced to rapidly slash away at its tentacles, cutting them off by the dozen. But the Rathtar barely noticed, and Loriole was about to be overwhelmed when it suddenly roared and turned away from her, exposing the large wound that Teimos had inflicted on its back, burning away a large chunk of flesh.

Without even stopping to take a breath, Loriole lunged forward. Her purple blade buried itself in the wound, sinking in up to the hilt. The Rathtar screamed in pain, arching its back. By some miracle of the Force, Loriole held on. She knew she had only seconds, so she quickly channelled her energy, and using the lightsaber as a conductor, she blasted her Force energy into the Rathtar's innards, blowing it up from the inside.

The beast literally exploded, its chest bursting open as Loriole's Force attack did its thing. The Rathtar's organs sprayed out, covering the chamber in more of its bodily fluids and blood. The monster stood there for a while, then slumped forward, smashing into the ground with a reverberating BOOOM.

Loriole stood up slowly, shakily. Deactivating her lightsaber, she clipped it to her belt and wiped her hands on her robes. The other Champions were gathering around the carcass of the beast, and Dulko was slowly getting up, moaning about a bad back or something.

Loriole walked over to join the other Champions. Dulko joined her, groaning slightly. One of the Grey Champions turned to face them. "This is just one of the many challenges that we will face while in the Maze Realm. We must remain on our guard, lest we be caught unawares again."

The assembled Champions nodded. The female Grey Champion said, "Let us rest a while more before moving out. Time is of the essence."

Suddenly, a loud grinding noise echoed through the Maze. The antechamber shook, and dust rained from an unseen ceiling. The 9 pathways leading out from the antechamber disappeared, stone blocks rising from hidden areas underneath, cutting off access.

Loriole was alarmed. "What's going on?"

The female Grey Champion answered her. "The Maze is changing its configuration."

The loud grinding noise stopped, and there was an eerie silence. Then the room rumbled, and stone segments descended into the ground, revealing 9 new pathways. The only path that remained from before was the one from which they had entered the antechamber in the first place.

The silence that permeated the dust-clouded air was frightening. The stillness was a stark contrast to the Maze Realm's sudden transformation. The Champions were quiet, shaken by the unexpected turn of events.

A Grey Champion broke the silence. "Let's rest. We'll need it."

 **A/N Hey guys, sorry for the long wait, school has been way more hectic than expected, and I was also accepted into the national cadet training squad, and training combined with plenty of tests over the past few weeks meant that I didn't have time to write and upload. This chapter is a little short, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer. I'm also planning to start a Percy Jackson fanfic, so keep an eye out for that.**

 **as always guys, feel free to leave a review commenting on my writing or if you have any plot ideas, and I thank you all greatly for your continued support**

 **don't forget to enjoy the story, and stay awesome**

 **Peace; Darkrai**


	13. Chapter 12: Betrayal

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **All content is strictly non-canon**

Chapter 12: Betrayal

*Meanwhile, in real-space*

The 4 shuttles suddenly blinked back into existence, the Mortis Monolith the silent block of metal it had been before. Jagnord checked his chrono, which had just finished syncing with the on-board chrono of the _Empirical_. Barely a minute had passed in real-time. Looking out the front viewport of the shuttle, he was pleased to see that the three frigates and their respective frigate battle groups had positioned themselves as he had ordered.

The One Sith shuttle peeled away, and headed back towards the _Palpatine_. As the Jedi shuttles touched down inside Hangar 3 of the _Empirical_ , Master Fel noticed the groups of clone pilots in full flight gear, rushing towards their craft. Turning, he also saw a large battalion of clone troopers boarding a new kind of ship that suspiciously resembled a boarding craft. Fel turned to question Jagnord, but the Grand Master had already boarded a turbolift and left.

*on the bridge of the _Empirical_ *

Jagnord stepped out of the turbolift. The bridge was mostly silent and still, the preparations complete. Walking to the command chair, the old Jedi sat down gingerly.

A clone trooper with red markings on his plate armor jogged up to Jagnord. "Sir, the battle stations are prepped and ready. All forces are standing by for your command."

Jagnord nodded. "You may begin when ready."

The clone bowed and signalled to a fellow trooper. That trooper hit a button, sending the simple signal to all the ships and the battle stations.

Attack.

The three massive EMP cannons aboard the _Empirical,_ the _Intrepid_ and the _Tahiri_ discharged, launching large blue rings of energy at the One Sith fleet. The EMP blasts hit their mark, instantly disabling the deflector shields and the sublight thrusters. A second volley penetrated the hulls, sending the energy through the systems, frying all the electronics and shutting down all the battle droids within.

Some of the smaller corvettes and fighters escaped the EMP volleys, but they were quickly annihilated by the turbolaser batteries mounted aboard the 5 space stations.

Master Fel entered the bridge just in time to see the Jedi frigates disgorge hundreds of ships from their hangars, boarding craft and the accompanying fighters for protection. The One Sith fleet hung dead in space, the ships devoid of all power.

Master Fel stormed up the command chair. "What is the meaning of this Grand Master?"

Jagnord turned to face him. "Do not worry. The clones have explicit orders to capture the Sith alive, eliminate if necessary."

Fel spat on the ground. "That is a whole load of Bantha crap. You know damn well the Sith won't go down without a fight, and this is just an excuse to wipe them out."

Jagnord's gaze turned stony. "And what would you rather have? For the war to continue until there is nothing left of this galaxy? For there to be peace, sacrifices must be made. You think it does not trouble my heart? My soul? They are sentient beings just like us. Why should we have to fight over some ancient quarrel? How many lives have already been lost?"

Angry as he felt, Fel couldn't help but find sense in the Grand Master's words. The argument lost, he stepped back sullenly, leaving the bridge.

Jagnord turned to look out the front viewport. The clones had begun their assault on the ships. Shortly, the One Sith would be in his hands, at his mercy. He closed his eyes. Finally, his grand plan was coming together, all the pieces were falling into place. At long last, the Sith would be no more.

*45 minutes later*

Jagnord strode confidently into Hangar 2, flowing robes billowing behind him and flanked by two clone commandos. The One Sith were kneeling on the ground, restrained by shock cuffs and surrounded by elite ARC troopers. The Lost Tribe and Senior Sabers were just beside them, and the rest of the Jedi Masters, Knights, and Padawans were just off to the side, against the far wall. Master Fel was staring intently at Jagnord as he approached the Sith prisoners.

Jagnord stopped in front of the One Sith prisoners. An ARC trooper roughly pushed one of the Sith to the front.

"This one claims he is the leader now." The trooper reported.

The Sith looked up at Jagnord, and he could feel the rage in his eyes.

"The One Sith will not stand for this kind of treachery! We will have our revenge! Let me go and duel me, or I will-" the Sith was cut off as Jagnord delivered a backhand blow across his face.

Jagnord bent over to stare the Sith in the eyes. "I care not for your little games. I am here for one purpose only, and that is to wipe the Sith from the face of the galaxy."

The Sith looked up, the rage in his eyes replaced with fear so thick it was palpable in the Force. Jagnord's voice was cold, but steady. The Sith shivered.

Jagnord rose to his full height, towering over the kneeling Sith. Pulling his saberstaff from beneath his robes, he used the Force to amplify his voice.

"Today, we sent our champions into a different dimension to fight for the fate of our galaxy. But what of the conflict we have been fighting for so long? I say no more. Today, is the day, where every last Sith will die!"

Igniting the amber blade, Jagnord raised his saberstaff above his head, preparing to behead the Sith, who lowered his head in anticipation of the blow. Jagnord spared himself a rare smile, then brought his blade down, expecting it to slice cleanly through the Sith's neck, as it should.

He did not expect to meet another lightsaber along the way.

The yellow blade smashed into a green blade that had been thrust into its way, stopping it just before it decapitated the Sith.

Jagnord snarled, whipping around to see who had stopped him in his moment of glory.

Master Fel stared right back into his eyes, calm and collected, even as the two lightsabers crackled and sparked just above the Sith's neck.

Jagnord sighed. "I'll give you one chance, Fel. Step away, and I will permit you to live."

Fel shook his head. "It isn't the Jedi way!" he shouted.

Jagnord snarled and flicked his lightsaber upwards, knocking Fel's blade away and pushing him away with the Force. "So, you choose death then."

Fel somersaulted and landed on his feet. "If that's what it takes to stop you."

The two Jedi rushed at each other and locked blades, the two lightsabers sparking violently. And it was in that moment, Fel saw something.

Jagnord's eyes had turned yellow.

 **A/N hey all, sorry this chap took so long. school has started and i also just finished my fencing nationals, so life has been super hectic. i do apologise if this chapter seems a bit shorter than my usual, but i really dont have much time these days, and I also wanted to take a break from trying to think of what the Champions will be encountering in the maze realm, so here this chapter is.**

 **anyways, i hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and if you have any critical feedback, feel free to leave a review and let me know if you have any advice for my writing.**

 **as always, enjoy the story, and i'll see yall in the next one (whenever that will be)**

 **cheers,**

 **Darkrai**


	14. Chapter 13: Gravity

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars. All content is strictly non-canon**

Chapter 13: Gravity

Loriole really hated the maze. Not that it was dangerous, not that the many beasts within were very annoying, and not that the maze kept changing its configuration. No, she hated it because there was so much walking to be done. What felt like weeks dragged on as the Nine trudged on the stone paths. There were periodic breaks, but it was never enough.

It first happened when the Nine were taking a break in one of the many round-walled antechambers. A resounding boom shook the entire structure, causing dust to rain down from an unseen ceiling. The Nine were instantly on their feet, sabers in hand and ignited. After the dust settled, there was no sign of any activity, until the walls began to shimmer. Words scrolled across the smooth stone surface, accompanied by an image of Darth Bane. Loriole could not decipher the ancient text, but the meaning was clear. Only 8 Aether Champions remained.

Eventually, after a very long walk, the Nine arrived in a different antechamber. This one did not have any benches for resting, nor did it have 9 branching pathways. Instead, there was a single squat rectangular pathway. This was the first structure they had seen that possessed a roof.

The Nine paused, unsure what to make of this. Eventually, Darth Kolbre broke the silence.

"Well? What are we waiting for?"

Almost immediately all the other champions shot him a dirty look. Kolbre just shrugged. The female Grey Champion shook her head at him.

"I would advise caution here. This is a new addition to the Maze Realm, one that is not yet catalogued."

Kolbre just shrugged again. "How bad can it be?" Grinning cheekily at the female Grey Champion, he nonchalantly stepped into the rectangular opening before anyone could stop him.

As soon as he set foot inside the rectangular opening, Kolbre immediately started floating. Loriole tried to resist the urge to laugh at the sight of the Sith Lord helplessly flailing his limbs in what appeared to be a spot of zero gravity.

Giggling uncontrollably, Itoryo reached out in the Force and gently pulled Kolbre back. Once he crossed the threshold, gravity took hold and he fell flat on his face. This was enough to send the other Champions, excluding the Grey Champions, into fits of laughter. Embarrassed at his failure, Kolbre meekly climbed to his feet, dusting the dirt off his robes.

Ignoring the red-faced Sith Lord, Loriole closed her eyes and reached out in the Force, trying to detect what was happening in the rectangular passageway before them. The image appeared in her mind with such clarity it was like she was seeing with her eyes. The world around her became a smorgasbord of colours. As when she had used this power before, she saw herself and her fellow Force Champions glowing with a bright blue aura, while the floor and walls of the Maze Realm were a cold, pale yellow colour. But now, she saw, contrasted with the floor and the walls inside the rectangular aperture, the floor they were standing on was pulsing gently. Inside the rectangular aperture, the floor was a sickly yellow, and it appeared to be slightly darker.

Extending her senses even further, Loriole spied a small patch of pulsing yellow just slightly further inside the passageway. Beyond that, more long stretches of darker yellow floors and walls.

Without a further word, Loriole called upon the Force, and pushed a very surprised Kolbre back into the aperture. Ignoring his flailing and Itoryo's giggles, Loriole used the Force to gently guide Kolbre onto the patch of ground where there was gravity.

In this manner, with Loriole pushing and guiding the remaining Champions, the others soon joined Kolbre on the small patch of ground. Loriole herself was then pulled across the gravity-less area by the others. This continued all down the passageway, with the gravity zones sometimes appearing on the walls, and sometimes even on the roof. All along the way the Champions kept an eye out for potential threats. An attack by a mutated beast in this gravity-starved environment could prove deadly.

Eventually, the Nine left the passageway, entering yet another antechamber. This one was similar to the previous, but the rectangular aperture did not disappear into darkness as the earlier one had, but instead just beyond they could see a sheer wall of stone, dotted with many strange structures.

The Champions trotted through the short passageway, unsure of what lay ahead of them. When they exited the passage, a collective gasp of awe escaped them.

Before them lay the most intricate network of stairways they had ever seen. The stairs crisscrossed, went up and went down, and the sheer size of the entire thing boggled the mind. Loriole looked to either side, seeing only more and more stairs. Small flat platforms dotted the stair system, evidently meant as rest platforms. More alarmingly, some of these platforms were tilted at very steep angles, and indeed, as Loriole took a closer look, some of the staircases were upside down, and more lay at strange angles. Clearly there was more gravitational trickery at hand here.

The network of stairs spanned a chasm so gargantuan, Loriole could only just make out the dark rectangle on the other side, a rectangle that presumably signified the exit from this nightmarish section. The bottom of the chasm was nowhere to be seen, with stairs disappearing down into the black abyss.

Once again, Loriole extended herself in the Force. This time, as she expected, the surfaces of the stairs were gently pulsing yellow. But what she did not expect was the intense, extremely bright pulsing coming from below. Reaching out downwards, she found the bottom of the chasm, very deep down, pulsing brighter than any surface she had encountered so far. Loriole shut off her senses, wincing as her mind recovered from the intense strobing of the gravitational waves. The gravity from the bottom was so strong that one misstep would likely spell their deaths.

The other Champions were silent as Loriole relayed this information to them. There was no doubt that the task ahead was daunting, for it would challenge their very perception of spatial displacement. Indeed, the first set of stairs leading out from the ledge they stood on was already twisting into a spiral just 9 steps in.

Loriole looked out over the chasm again. Now she really hated this maze.

 **A/N Hey guys I'm finally back! Junior college has been absolute hell, and I only just finished my promotional exams. Ive got a couple of months before the second year of junior college starts in earnest, so I'll be trying my absolute best to catch up on my stories. Havent quite decided which story to do next, but once i do decide ill pump the chapter out as fast as i can! Sorry for the long wait and thanks for the continued support!**

 **as always, i do hope you enjoyed the story, and if you have any ideas, criticism or comments in general, feel free to leave a review!**

 **happy reading,**

 **Darkrai**


	15. Chapter 14: Duels

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars**

 **All content is strictly non-canon**

Chapter 14: Duels

*realspace, aboard the _Empirical_ *

The sound of clashing lightsabers reverberated through the air, echoing off the durasteel walls of the frigate's hangar. Jedi and Sith alike watched in awe and horror as two of the most powerful Jedi in the known galaxy engaged in a duel to the death. Jagnord, with Skywalker blood coursing through his veins and descended from the Chosen One himself, Anakin Skywalker, the amber blades on his saberstaff whirling around him in a dazzling display of colour. Fel, also with Skywalker blood, but directly descended from Jaina Solo Fel, Sword of the Jedi, his vibrant green blade tracing elaborate patterns in the air as he fended off Jagnord's lightning-paced attacks.

The two Jedi crossed the hangar, blades crossing in a whirlwind of blows, with strikes and counterattacks sallying back and forth, seemingly equally matched. Their lightsabers were all but a blur of colour, and even the most battle-hardened Jedi and Sith could not keep up with the pace of the duel.

Sparks flew every which way, and the two Jedi's lightsabers left deep scorch marks on the freshly scrubbed durasteel surfaces of the _Empirical_. The drone of the lightsaber blades had reached a feverish pitch, and their humming provided a backdrop to the violent clashes of kyber energy.

Fel leapt backwards, slashing at the nose landing gear of a Laser-X as he did, causing the nose of the craft to fall downwards with a pained groan. The crippled fighter crashed to the floor in front of Jagnord with a resounding BOOM. Undeterred, Jagnord simply slashed through the nose of the craft and continued through the wreckage, his robes snagging on the red-hot edges of the damaged pieces of the X-wing.

Fel stalked backwards, circling Jagnord, his breath coming fast and hard. Jagnord had shed his smouldering robes, revealing the light plate armour that all Jedi wore in the field. The painted gold highlights gleamed in the amber light of his saberstaff. The Jedi emblem painted above his heart flashed proudly, if a little ironically, as if to tell Fel that Jagnord's intentions were noble, flawed though his execution was.

Fel shed his own robes, revealing his own faded plate armour. Unlike Jagnord's immaculately kept and pristine armour, his armour had seen action in the field, and Fel had never bothered to repaint it. Battered and worn, one could just barely see the slightest hints of red paint. In contrast, the Jedi emblem on his chestplate was a dull blue.

Fel stared down Jagnord as the older Jedi casually twirled his lightsaber. The Grand Master's yellow-eyed stare was intense, but Fel refused to show any signs of weakness.

The two Jedi circled each other like apex predators. The assembled Jedi and Sith held their breath, waiting to see who would make the first move.

Fel knew that Jagnord's age had to be getting to him, yet the old man looked as fresh as he had when the battle had begun. Fel wondered how the most powerful of all the Jedi could have fallen to the dark side, but even as he stared into Jagnord's yellow eyes, the answer came to him. Skywalkers always had had a propensity for the dark side. Anakin Skywalker had become Darth Vader, Jacen Solo had turned to become Darth Caedus, and Ben Solo had succumbed to Snoke to become Kylo Ren. The Skywalker bloodline had equal probabilities of being either the strongest Jedi or the strongest Sith.

With that, Fel made up his mind. He would destroy Jagnord, even if it killed him. Pointing his blade at Jagnord, he roared and charged.

The two blades met with a violent crackle. Fel stared Jagnord down, their faces mere inches away from the two crossed blades.

Over the din of the sparking blades, Fel shouted at Jagnord: "I won't let you destroy them! It isn't the Jedi way!"

Snarling, Jagnord pushed Fel off. "You're too weak to see the big picture. I will destroy the Sith once and for all, and we will end the war! Forever!"

Fel shook his head. "The Jedi are peacekeepers! There are other ways to end wars! You just never had the wisdom to see it!"

Jagnord growled. "Enough of your insubordination Fel. This ends now!"

With a speed that belied his age, Jagnord lunged forward and slashed hard. Caught off guard, Fel only just deflected the blow, but the force of the strike knocked his lightsaber from his hand.

Fel fell onto his bottom, stunned by the blow. Jagnord saw his opportunity, and aiming his lightsaber at Fel's heart, plunged it straight down. Fel instinctively threw up his hands, even though he knew it was futile…

*The Maze Realm, Domain of Unending Stairways*

Loriole woke with a start. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light of the Maze Realm, she realised that she had been woken by the sound of lightsabers clashing. Yet these lightsabers sounded different, with an almost evil-sounding hum that resembled that of a vacuum, sucking in light instead of giving it off.

Loriole shot to her feet, her own saber in hand, only to realize that there was no immediate threat. The sound of lightsabers had travelled across the immense room. The massive walls and contorted staircases made for excellent acoustics. Squinting her eyes, the Force Champion could just barely make out figures robed in black, clashing with what appeared to be blades of pure darkness.

Looking back towards where they had entered the gargantuan room, Loriole now noticed that the passageway they had entered was not the only entrance point to the room. In fact, where the maze of stairs met the walls, a small passageway was present, which must have been how the Aether Champions had entered the room as well. They had only just made far enough for her to spot the nearest other entrances.

By now, the rest of the Force Champions had been roused from their slumber. They too saw the Aether Champions fighting in the distance. Knowing that they had no time to waste, they immediately set off.

However, another problem presented itself shortly. After having walked so far, one thing was apparent: all the stairways converged onto one massive platform before branching out into different stairways that then led to the exit.

For the first time, Loriole felt a sense of urgency in the Maze Realm. Now it was a race against time, to get to that platform and out of this room, before the Aether Champions reached it…

*realspace, aboard the _Empirical_ *

Fel opened his eyes. At first, he could not comprehend his situation. Jagnord was standing above him, yellow eyes glaring down at him, face contorted in a mask of pure shock. The second thing that hit him was: _he wasn't dead_.

As he slowly began to regain his senses, he noticed that the palm of his outstretched hand was uncomfortably warm. The next thing that hit him was the fact that the hilt of Jagnord's saberstaff was almost touching said palm.

Jagnord could hardly believe it. _Tutaminis_ was an incredibly difficult technique to master, and even he could hardly absorb blaster bolts without immense concentration beforehand. Yet Fel had easily caught his lightsaber blade, absorbing the blade's energy, an extremely rare feat that only the greatest Jedi had ever mastered. His surprise at this feat was his undoing.

Sensing the Grand Master's surprise, Fel concentrated and summoned the Force, using it to enhance his strength as he kicked out at Jagnord's chest. The blow connected, and with the sickening _crunch_ of ribs breaking, the Force-enhanced kick sent the old Jedi tumbling backwards.

Fel was instantly on his feet, summoning his lightsaber to his hands, even as a wheezing Jagnord had already risen to his knees. Fel raised his lightsaber and ignited it, preparing to end it. But to his surprise, he didn't need to.

Jagnord rose to his feet, only to hear the _snap-hiss_ of more lightsabers activating. Turning, he realized that the members of the Jedi High Council had encircled him, brandishing their own lightsabers, bathing him in a wash of blue, green and yellow.

One of the Jedi Masters used the Force to amplify his voice, such that it echoed across the hangar. "Grand Master Skywalker, the Jedi High Council has deemed that your actions have betrayed the deepest of Jedi beliefs, and by a unanimous vote you are hereby removed from your post of Jedi Grand Master and expelled from the Jedi Order. Surrender now, or die."

Jagnord turned around, but there was no escape. The Jedi High Council had surrounded him entirely. Fel remained outside the circle, wary but unsure of what to do.

Jagnord's next words were so soft that Fel could barely hear him over the hum of the lightsabers.

"This will be the last mistake you ever make, Jedi."

Fel suddenly felt the rage and power of the dark side wash over Jagnord, and he shouted a warning to the High Council members.

But it was too late. Far too late…

 **A/N hey all, so sorry for the long hiatus between chapters, but school just started today, and I realized that i wouldnt get any time at all to write once school really kicks off in full swing. my A levels are this year, so it's very likely you wont hear from me until next year. If i do get a little time during my holidays i'll try to write a little, but no guarantees. that said, i wanted to quickly churn out this chapter with a bit more action to tide you guys over until the next time i'm able to write.**

 **if you have any critical comments, or advice for the story, feel free to leave a review below**

 **and as always, i hope you enjoyed this chapter, and i wish all of you a happy new year (a bit late, i know) and happy reading!**

 **Darkrai**


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